Two people were killed after flash floods struck areas of New Jersey on Monday, causing submerged cars, and flooding roadways. A state of emergency was declared in New Jersey after slow-moving thunderstorms unloaded a significant amount of rain, resulting in dangerous flash flooding across the Northeast through Monday night.
According to a Facebook post from the city of Plainfield, NJ At least two people died in Plainfield, N.J., located about 20 miles southwest of New York City, after floodwaters swept away a vehicle into Cedar Brook. Emergency personnel responded to the incident quickly, but both people in the vehicle were pronounced dead on the scene, with the incident coming days after two others were killed in severe storms in Plainfield on July 3.
Plainfield Mayor Adrian Mapp said in a statement: “All of Plainfield grieves this latest loss. To lose four residents in such a short span of time is unimaginable. We mourn with the families, and we remain committed to doing all we can to strengthen our emergency response systems and protect our residents from future harm.”
Monday’s flash flooding spanned from northern New Jersey to New York City to Westchester County, New York and areas of Washington, D.C., and Arlington, Virginia. Some roads were impassable Tuesday morning, littered with debris left behind by the floodwaters.
On Monday evening, a thunderstorm in New York City caused 2.07 inches of rain to fall in just one hour. The rain gauge in Central Park filled to 2.64 inches of rain, which broke the previous daily record rainfall of 1.47 inches, set on July 14, 1908. Water gushed into subway stations, stranding some riders aboard a stalled train. with over 1,000 flights were canceled and 1,100 more delayed at airports across the NYC area.
In Lancaster County, PA, a Declaration of Disaster was issued after over 7 inches of rain inundated the town of Mount Joy in less than five hours, which overwhelmed stormwater infrastructure. The Mount Joy Fire Department said on Facebook that “the west end of town was hardest hit, with reports of over 5 feet of water in some homes. Significant property damage was reported, including one basement wall collapse.”
Heavy rain and thunderstorms are expected to continue across the mid-Atlantic through the weekend, keeping the risk of flooding high throughout the region.
Editorial credit: Amy Lutz / Shutterstock.com
