(NEW YORK) — Torrential rain pummeled parts of the Northeast on Thursday, including New York City and New Jersey, stranding rush-hours passengers on a train stuck in floodwaters and inundating some roadways.
Ahead of the storm states of emergencies were declared in New York City and New Jersey, and crews were expected to continue cleaning up from the deluge into Friday.
Flash flooding also struck Philadelphia, parts of the Washington, D.C., area and Maryland, where a person was caught in rising floodwaters and then became trapped in a storm drain and died, police in Mt. Airy, Maryland, said. Police have not provided an age of the person who died. Mt. Airy is located about 40 miles north of Washington.
In New York, Gov. Kathy Hochul told ABC News’ New York station WABC that the worst weather was in Queens, where storms dumped 5 inches of rain.
Over 100 passengers were rescued from a stranded Long Island Rail Road train near the Bayside station, which had become stuck in rising floodwaters during rush hour, according to WABC. Passengers had to wait about 2 hours before emergency crews could get them to safety.
Nearby, a retaining wall behind a home gave way in a rockslide, sending debris into the backyard.
Several vehicles also became submerged in floodwaters, causing swift water rescue teams to respond.
The state had already pre-positioned emergency vehicles, power generators and other resources ahead of the storm, helping crews respond quickly. A state of emergency was declared in 14 counties, and the state’s operations center was fully activated, according to Hochul.
During the height of the storm, heavy rain had closed sections of major New York City roads, including the Long Island Expressway, Cross Island Parkway, FDR Drive and the Clearview Expressway. Some services on the Long Island Rail Road and New Jersey Transit were also suspended.
In New Jersey, acting Gov. Tahesha Way said Thursday that flooding was reported across several major highways.
Parts of the state, including Plainfield, were still recovering from recent deadly storms and are now facing additional damage, according to the governor, who said saturated ground is worsening the impact of flooding.
Some of the heaviest rain may have fallen during the late afternoon rush hour, but the heavy rain could continue well into the evening.
In Montgomery County, Maryland, in the suburbs of Washington, D.C., officials reported “considerable flooding” and some water rescues.
There were at least four rescues reported in the Bethesda and Potomac areas, according to Montgomery County Fire & Rescue Service.
More than 1,400 flights were canceled in the U.S. on Thursday, with New York City’s airports and D.C.’s Reagan National Airport seeing the biggest impacts.
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