WEST POINT, N.Y. – Historic rainfall north of New York City triggered dozens of water rescues and led to roadways being washed out after more than half a foot of rain fell in only a few hours on Sunday.
The National Weather Service issued a Flash Flood Emergency for parts of Orange, Putnam, Rockland and Westchester categories due to the catastrophic flooding.
The agency received reports of water rescues in Highland Falls, Fort Montgomery, Cornwall, West Point and several other communities in the Lower Hudson Valley.
Photos and videos from around West Point and Highland Falls showed many vehicles stuck in the high water that was estimated to be several feet high.
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New York State Police reported numerous roadways in Rockland County were washed out and urged drivers to avoid the area.
Authorities in Fort Montgomery requested mutual aid due to the volume of water rescues.
The U.S. Military Academy at West Point said driving was unsafe around the post due to drain covers that were displaced by the fast-moving water.
The FOX Forecast Center warned bands of additional showers and thunderstorms could produce several more inches of rainfall, and some parts of the Northeast were facing the worst catastrophic flash flooding event since Hurricane Irene in 2011.
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“My biggest concern is the fact that most people’s lives that are lost during a flood event occur because they’re in their vehicles – not in their homes, but in their vehicles. And I want people to be very cautious about not going into a road that’s closed or if you see any running water,” New York Governor Kathy Hochul said during a briefing.
More than 40 million residents from the mid-Atlantic through New England were under a Flash Flood Watch due to the threat that excessive runoff may result in flooding of low-lying areas and rivers.