Ida Impact: Families Rescued From Major Flooding In Mamaroneck, Schools Closed Thursday
MAMARONECK, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) -- The remnants of Hurricane Ida caused dangerous flooding in Westchester County, stranding drivers on the parkways.
As CBS2's Tony Aiello reported Thursday, Mamaroneck is totaling up the damage and cleaning up.
Rain and runoff turned the Mamaroneck River from placid to raging, strong enough to carry a shipping container blocks from where it was on Wednesday.
"This is unprecedented. I think this is the worst I've ever seen. I've been through a few floods as an elected official in this community. I've never seen it this intense and this widespread," Mayor Tom Murphy said.
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Dozens of small family businesses were cleaning up and coming to grips with the disaster.
"It's horrendous, honestly. We lost so much stuff. The majority of this is going to go into the garbage. This is really damaging. I don't know how my dad will be able to do it," said Sarah Shibah, whose family owns Dollar Depot.
Homes in low-lying areas near the train station took several feet of water. Dozens of cars were inundated with water and there's no doubt some were beyond salvaging. Hundreds of residents were evacuated, most by boat. Some were rescued in a metal box rigged onto a front-end loader. Many left their flooded homes with just a bagful of belongings.
Firefighters were deploying inflatable boats to rescue people from their doorsteps. Aiello described it as the worst flooding he's ever seen in the village.
Flood waters starting to recede in Mamaroneck. An absolute mess left behind. pic.twitter.com/6qSUrGxRip
— Tony Aiello (@AielloTV) September 2, 2021
First responders from six communities were providing mutual aid.
Jeff Lopez and his goldendoodle, Milo, left behind a home on Center Avenue that took on three feet of water.
"I know we lost everything, materialistic, everything that you can repair. But family you can't bring back. I'm very thankful for my parents, my family got out of the house," Lopez said.
As the water receded, Matt Bush Jr. made it out on the shoulders of a first responder.
"Because it's really deep and I'm cold," Bush said.
Cleanup continued throughout the day. It will take days for the town's usually lively downtown to return to normal.
Mamaroneck public schools were closed Thursday because of "flooding, unsafe conditions and significant damage," the district said.
Stay with CBS2, CBSN New York and CBSNewYork.com for more on the storm's aftermath.