Severe Storms Cause Major Flooding Problems In Parts Of Tri-State Area
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Storms moving through the Tri-State Area Thursday caused major flooding problems, especially in Rockland County and parts of New Jersey.
A flash flood watch was issued in many suburbs through late Friday night. Flash flood warnings are also in place throughout the region.
By all accounts, the flooding started in Rockland County after a tsunami of rushing water overran streets in downtown Nyack, catching drivers off-guard.
"My car just stopped, and I don't really know what to do," said stranded driver Hannah Bowen of Blauvelt.
"I was just coming around that little…ramp over there, and the car was really low, and we couldn't get any momentum to get through…that massive puddle over there," Nyack resident Pete Kandel said.
Al Jones of 1010 WINS drove through Pascack Road in Spring Valley on Thursday afternoon and reported that it was covered in about 2 to 3 feet of water.
RELATED LINKS: Weather Forecast | Radar | Traffic & Transit
Spring Valley Residents Say They Haven't Seen Such Flooding Since Hurricane Floyd. 1010 WINS' Al Jones Reports.
Podcast
Jones said some drivers had to be rescued by firefighters, with some of those stuck adding despite what appeared to be still waters, a huge undertow was cause for concern below the surface.
Meanwhile, Rockland County Executive C. Scott Vanderhoef spoke with WCBS 880 Thursday afternoon and said that plenty of 911 calls were flowing into police headquarters.
WCBS 880's Peter Haskell has the latest on the flooding in Rockland County
Podcast
"This is the worst it's been since [Hurricane] Floyd, which is saying quite a bit," Vanderhoef said.
He also cautioned that residents should "not try to drive through these waters."
"That just creates more problems. So throughout Rockland County right now, I'm suggesting people be very careful with puddles and this very severe flooding," Vanderhoef said.
There was much more than a puddle in northern New Jersey, where water covered almost an entire neighborhood in Saddle River, rushing past homes and businesses, reports CBS 2's Derricke Dennis.
Charlene Mabe had to be rescued from her porch.
"It came up really fast," Mabe said. "We looked out and it was halfway in the parking lot; looked out again and it was just over the road."
When it was all over, pavement was left broken and buckled, while a small bridge was battered by debris. Residents blamed mismanagement upstream.
"I think, systemically speaking, if they really go up into that area, they'll see the runoff, excessive construction, look into lack of planning," Saddle River resident Jim Orefice said.
WCBS 880's Marla Diamond spoke to flood-weary residents in Saddle River.
Podcast
In Hillsdale, the flooding brought out emergency personnel and rescue boats. About a dozen residents were left stranded, with the flood waters surrounding their homes.
"The flooding went from a 1 to over a level 4 in 20 minutes," Hillsdale resident Jean Romaglia said.
As of Thursday evening, there were no reports of any injuries from the flash flooding. However, surprised residents were left dealing with plenty of property damage from the rushing waters.
Earlier Thursday, the National Weather Service said that the storm responsible for the death of a man in Manchester Township was not the work of a tornado.
Henry Burton Jr. died when two trees fell onto his car Wednesday night. The 69-year-old man was from Sayreville.
The weather service is still looking into whether Jackson Township was hit by a tornado.
Severe Weather Alerts:
Flash Flood Watch, Coastal Hazard Statement in CT - Northern Fairfield , Southern Fairfield
Coastal Hazard Statement in CT - Northern New Haven , Southern New Haven
Flood Warning, Areal Flood Warning in NJ - Eastern Bergen , Eastern Passaic , Western Bergen , Western Passaic
Flash Flood Watch, Coastal Hazard Statement in NJ - Eastern Bergen , Eastern Essex , Eastern Passaic , Eastern Union , Hudson , Western Bergen , Western Essex , Western Passaic , Western Union
Areal Flood Warning - Rockland
Flash Flood Watch - Kings (Brooklyn) , Southern Nassau , Southern Queens
Flash Flood Watch, Coastal Hazard Statement - Bronx , New York (Manhattan) , Northern Nassau , Northern Queens , Northern Westchester , Orange , Putnam , Richmond (Staten Is.) , Rockland , Southern Westchester
Coastal Hazard Statement - Northeast Suffolk , Northwest Suffolk
