After Record Rainfall, Residents In NY And NJ Try To Repair Flooding Damage
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Following a day of record rainfall that led to power outages, disrupted train service and flooded homes for many in the Tri-State Area, an all-out effort was being made to repair the damage.
On Monday night the flooding on Long Island was still incredible. One apartment building in Hempstead had quite a story as water came rushing in off the streets, flooding the entire first floor. It even came in through the windows.
"Water came from the windows, the doors, it was just a mess," Esmeralda Giron told CBS 2's Derricke Dennis.
Giron and her family were still cleaning up their ground floor apartment.
On Sunday, a torrent of water came flowing in off flooded streets, collecting in the lobby, and then seeping into several apartments. Walls and baseboards were ruined and trash bags were filled with debris.
"The water just came, kept coming in and stuff. It took a lot," Giron said.
Exclusive building surveillance video showed the damage at every angle. Residents were seen wading into the water. The fire department was called to rescue people trapped in an elevator. Debris was floating everywhere, after the waters came rushing in.
Outside wasn't much better. Alex Mejicano's SUV was finally started after hours of drying out. Other vehicles just sat in the parking lot, their engines still waterlogged.
"Everybody, they called the mechanic to see and check the motors and everything, you know," Mejicano said.
Earlier Monday, the One Offering Tabernacle of God church in Hempstead Village was reported to have $30,000 in flood damage. From the church service room to the offices, everything was under about a foot of water on Sunday morning.
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"Our congregation, we just can't take it anymore. It's not safe, there's mildew issues now, bacteria and we've exhausted our funds," Archbishop Russell James told CBS 2's Emily Smith.
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James said the church is in a flood zone and insurance won't cover the damage.
"Because it was a situation that happened externally -- even though there are foundational cracks where the water came through," he said.
In Merrick, Tracey Nachamie said she now faces tens of thousands of dollars in damages from the rain. She said that within an hour water went from 3 inches of flooding to 3 feet inside her refurnished basement.
"We had to completely rip up the carpet in the basement. We have a bathroom there. The walls are going to have to be repaired," she told Smith.
Across the street, David Hausers was left to deal with many of the same issues. He lives on the lake and said the problems were due to the lake's flood gates not opening.
"All the houses smell like mold and mildew and we've lost so much," Hausers said.
In Freeport on Long Island, residents are cleaning up and pumping water out of their basements. Most of the South Shore got hit with 8 to 10 inches of rain and Lido Beach got close to 11 inches.
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The storm caused thousands of dollars worth of damage to the ground floor of Addie Quinn's home in Lido Beach.
"I'm shocked; 45 years in this house and not once, not ever has this happened," Quinn said.
She now must replace an oil burner, washing machine and dryer.
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Nearly 8 inches of rain was recorded at JFK Sunday, the most recorded there in a single day.
Two New York City men trapped in a flooded basement elevator were feeling very lucky on Monday. The two had been moving supplies Sunday at the former Staten Island Hotel as heavy rains pounded the metropolitan area.
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The Staten Island Advance reported when firefighters arrived, sewer water was up to their necks. The men managed to pry the emergency hatch open. Firefighters used a ladder to get them out through the narrow opening.
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Elsewhere on Staten Island, the rain flooded a swath of road in the Bay Terrace area, submerging cars abandoned by stranded drivers. Staten Island resident Joe Rivera said his parents had to spend the night at his home due to the rain. His parents' basement was submerged beneath 6 feet of water.
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"What happened was one of the pipes burst in the sink because of the water pressure coming up, and everything was coming up from all over the place: from the drains, the sewer trap," Rivera told 1010 WINS' Steve Sandberg.
A huge sinkhole appeared at Narrows Road and Targee Avenue. A towing company pulled 11 vehicles out from under the train trestle near Ainsworth Avenue.
In New Jersey, Salem County Public Works Director Jeff Ridgway said several roads were flooded, some partially washed away and one bridge sunk more than 5 feet during Sunday's storm.
Officials said a dam was breached on Seeley Lake in Bridgeton late Sunday afternoon. About 75 people voluntarily evacuated.
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Storm sewers in Hoboken were overflowing Monday thanks to Sunday's storm. It's a chronic problem for the city whenever there is a high tide and heavy rain.
Flash flood watches and warnings remained in effect for much of the Tri-State Area Monday, and some spotty showers are expected.
