Large parts of New York State woke up Monday to flooded homes, stranded vehicles, impassable roads and other damage after a storm brought heavy rain on Sunday.
At least one person died, authorities said. State Sen. James Skoufis, who represents Orange County, said the victim was a woman in her 30s, but the circumstances surrounding her death were still unclear.
The Hudson Valley bore the brunt of the storm, which brought as much as eight inches of rain to some areas, according to the National Weather Service. West Point, the US Military Academy, was hit hard, and much of the road leading to it was destroyed, according to people documenting the storm on social media.
Other roads were also impassable, including parts of the heavily traveled Palisades Interstate Parkway, and several bridges collapsed, according to Trooper Steven V. Nevel of the New York State Police.
A New York-bound Amtrak train was halted as it approached Poughkeepsie Sunday evening, with an Amtrak employee announcing that there had been a “complete washout of both tracks” south of the city, preventing any travel by train.
Governor Kathy Hochul of New York declared a state of emergency on Sunday, and expanded it later to include more areas of the state. “If you are in an area affected by tonight’s storms, please stay off the roads and take steps to stay safe,” she said on Twitter.
Flash flood warnings were in effect Monday morning, including in Rockland County and northern Westchester County, according to the National Weather Service. The service also predicted more heavy rain that could result in “life-threatening flash flooding of streams and creeks, urban areas, highways, streets and subways.”
County officials, police departments and other agencies fielded dozens of emergency calls prompted by flooding Sunday. Trooper Nevel described the search and rescue efforts as an “all hands on deck” effort.