Biblical flash flooding has killed a woman as she was swept away trying to save a dog when she was hit by a "tidal wave".
A woman in her 30s died in the severe weather on Sunday night as she was trying to escape her flooded house in Hudson Valley, New York, with her dog. A state of emergency has been declared in Orange County.
Orange County Executive Steven Neuhaus stated that the force of the flash flooding dislodged boulders, which rammed the woman's house and damaged part of its wall.
He said her house was completely surrounded by water and she was overwhelmed by the water while trying to evacuate her home with her dog.
“Her house was completely surrounded by water,” he said. “She was trying to get through (the flooding) with her dog,” he added, “and she was overwhelmed by tidal-wave type waves.”
Two other family members managed to escape, but sadly, the woman was swept away and drowned in the floodwater with rescue teams while trying to evacuate her home. Her body was recovered and the dog was found safe and was taken in by a neighbour.
The heavy rainfall swamped roadways and forced road closures, as much of the rest of the Northeast US began bracing for severe storms. Another ten people were rescued from a flooded campsite by emergency services, it was reported.
Mr Neuhaus told CBS: "I'm trying to respond to people that are trapped, their house is in danger of either washing, collapsing, or elderly people who are evacuated from one of the nursing homes here."
Rosemary Willkomm, of Cornwall-on-Hudson, said the flooding caused “utter destruction” at her home. “It took our fences down. We had 6 inches of water in our basement, all the way to our den,” she told the Times Union. “It undermined our whole property.”
As the storm moved east, the National Weather Service extended flash flood warnings into Connecticut, including the cities of Stamford and Greenwich, before creeping into Massachusetts. Forecasters said some areas could get as much as 5 inches (12 centimetres) of rain.
The extent of the destruction from the slow-moving storm, which pounded the area with up to 8 inches (20 centimetres) of rain, won’t be known until after sunrise when residents and officials can begin surveying the damage. But officials said the storm had already wrought tens of millions of dollars in damage.
New York Governor Kathy Hochul confirmed to WCBS radio that several people were missing and one home was washed away. The governor said her office was in close communication with local officials, and state agencies were helping with search-and-rescue efforts.
In a tweet, she said: "I have announced a State of Emergency for Orange County, which has experienced life-threatening flooding over the past few hours. We are in close communication with local officials and State agencies are participating in search and rescue efforts.
"Our Office of Emergency Management has been in touch with every potentially impacted county to make sure they have what they need to quickly respond. And they will be coordinating deployments of personnel and resources from State agencies should local officials need help."
She added that 13,000 homes are without power and advised people to contact their utility company to report outages. or call 911 id they see downed wires.
The rain has hit some parts of New York harder than others, but officials said communities to the east of the state should brace for torrential rains and possible flash flooding.
Officials urged residents in the line of the storm to stay off the roads. “The amount of water is extraordinary and it’s still a very dangerous situation,” Hochul said. “We’ll get through this,” she said, but added “it’s going to be a rough night.”
The governor declared a state of emergency Sunday for Orange County, about 60 miles (96 kilometers) north of New York City. She later extended the state of emergency to Ontario County in western New York, southeast of Rochester.
“We are in close communication with local officials and state agencies are participating in search and rescue efforts," she said.
The state deployed five swift-water rescue teams and a high-axle vehicle to help with rescues in flooded areas. Some video posted on social media showed the extent of flooding, with streams of brown-colored torrents rushing right next to homes, and roadways washed away by fast-moving cascading flows.
West Point, home to the US Military Academy, was severely flooded. Officials worry some historic buildings might have water damage.
The National Weather Service issued flash flood warnings across parts of southeastern New York, describing it as “life threatening,” as well as warnings in northeastern New Jersey.
By Monday, “a considerable flood threat with a high risk of excessive rainfall is expected across much of New England,” NWS said in a tweet. Intense rain may be especially strong in Vermont and northeastern New York.
Showers and thunderstorms were also expected in New York City Sunday night and may lead to flash flooding, the National Weather Service New York tweeted.
The city's emergency notification system tweeted that the heavy rain could cause “life-threatening flooding to basements” and instructed residents to “prepare now to move to higher ground if needed.”
State Route 9W was flooded, and the Palisades Interstate Parkway became so drenched that parts of it were closed, the New York State Police said in a statement. The police asked the public to avoid the parkway.
