Lower Hudson Valley continues to clean up after storms and floods

Felipe Jorge is ready to move out of New Rochelle. His house was flooded on Friday after Westchester County was slammed with torrential rain. "I got about five and a half, six feet of water in here. My whole basement, it's all gone."

Friday's major rain event was the latest in a string of historic floods throughout the Hudson Valley this year. Westchester County received between three to six inches of rain, while Rockland and Putnam counties received up to five.

But Jorge said this is a common occurrence for his neighborhood. "Last time I lost three cars and everything. It's always the same thing," he said.

Jorge said the lake by his house floods often during storms like the one on Friday. The runoff goes into a creek that also overflows, right into the streets of his neighborhood.

"I'm just going to sell the house and get out because the city is not doing anything for us to try to do something with that creek," he said.

Westchester and Rockland residents experienced major flooding in virtually all parts of the Lower Hudson Valley. Several major highways in the Hudson Valley are still closed as of Saturday morning.

The region is under a coastal flood advisory until 3 p.m. Sunday.

For those who traveled Friday, they encountered trouble, too.

Kristen Calle lives in Blauvelt and teaches in Westchester. She said her car got stuck on the Saw Mill River Parkway coming back from her lunch break. Five people helped Calle push it to the side of the road, but she said it took two hours for a tow truck to get her car to Yonkers. She said her car was fully damaged and she is now using a rental.

What's still closed?

There aren't believed to be any further major closures as of Monday morning.

The state Department of Transportation said that parts of the Saw Mill River Parkway between Exit 16 in Greenburgh and Tuckahoe Road were still closed as of Saturday morning. It also said that the Bronx River Parkway from the Sprain Brook split in Yonkers to the New York City line was still closed. The Parkway experienced some of the worst flooding on Friday.

In Rockland, Route 59 in West Nyack near the Palisades Mall were still closed Saturday morning westbound towards Suffern, but eastbound towards Nyack is open. According to Clarkstown Police, several cars were seen stranded after major flooding.

What has reopened?

Most public transit systems and local roadways were cleared Friday evening and Saturday morning. The Hudson, Harlem and New Haven lines on the Metro-North Railroad are fully operating with some delays due to technical track issues. Terminal A at LaGuardia Airport reopened Friday night to full traffic as well.

The New York State Thruway Exits 7A and 8A (Saw Mill River Parkway/Taconic State Parkway) are now opened. The Saw Mill and Taconic State Parkways still have some sporadic road closures, but traffic is normal by the Thruway exits.

Rain is still expected on Saturday morning through the afternoon, but there are no major storms predicted.

States of emergency were declared Friday

Multiple states were declared across the region Friday, including New York State, New York City and the cities of New Rochelle, Mount Vernon and Yonkers.

"I am taking this step to ensure the security, well-being, and health of our citizens during this challenging time," Westchester County Executive George Latimer said Friday. "The severe storm has created hazardous conditions, and we are committed to providing all necessary assistance to address the threats to public health and safety."

The American Red Cross opened a shelter at Mamaroneck High School on Friday to support victims of flood damage. Spokesperson Frederic Klein said people who are evacuating to a shelter should bring essentials like prescription medications, specific food for dietary restrictions, extra clothes and blankets and chargers for electronic devices.

He said that around 15 residents have already temporarily moved into the shelter as a result of flooding in their homes. "The Red Cross has been providing meals to shelter residents in addition to health and other support and a dry place to stay," Klein said. "Our teams are currently working to assess damage to peoples’ homes which will guide the next steps in terms of providing recovery assistance."

Later Saturday, the Red Cross shifted the shelter to Mamaroneck Pavilion, 60-98 Harbor Island Park, Mamaroneck.

Gov. Kathy Hochul gave an status update Saturday morning with MTA CEO Janno Lieber. She said the torrential rain event was "record shattering," but there were no casualties.

"It is the most rain ever recorded in a single place like JFK [airport] ever," she said. "Not just this summer, not this year, but ever. And the records are still coming in." She said that some places are experiencing the most rain that has ever hit in 70 years and that rain records were comparable to Hurricane Ida in 2021.

Hochul said that the catastrophe was mitigated by New York residents who stayed home and did not travel. She said the response was sent out early enough for New Yorkers to heed emergency warnings, which resulted in no deaths, less rescues and less vehicle damage.

"This was the kind of rain that was once unimaginable," she said. "We called them once in a century storms. But this is the third time since I was sworn in two years ago, I've had a once in a century storm." Hochul said that New Yorkers should begin to expect these kinds of weather events as "the new normal."

Visual journalist Seth Harrison contributed to this report.

This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Hudson Valley floods: What's reopened after heavy rains