Storm in New York’s Hudson Valley kills one, brings 9 inches of rain: ‘1,000-year event’

Devastating rain and ferocious flash flooding overnight in the Hudson Valley killed at least one person, turned roads into rivers and sent New York rescue workers scrambling Monday as the storm turned its wrath toward New England.

The storm, which was believed to inflict tens of millions of dollars in damage and deluged some areas with 9 inches of rain, amounted to a “1,000-year event,” Gov. Hochul said at a briefing Monday in hard-hit Highland Falls, about 40 miles north of New York City.

A 35-year-old woman died after she fled her flooding home with her dog, the governor said. “Her fiancé literally saw her swept away,” said Hochul, who did not identify the victim. “Terror, devastation, right here.”

The woman’s body was found at the base of a ravine, said Steven Neuhaus, the county executive in Orange County. Rescue workers braved perilous conditions to recover her body, and also rushed to rescue people trapped in waterlogged autos across the region, Neuhaus told reporters.

Conditions remained challenging in the Hudson Valley and upstate areas after the chaotic night. The state said 5,500 homes were without power on Monday morning.

Ontario County in the Finger Lakes and Orange County in the Hudson Valley were under a state of emergency. And a flood watch was to remain in effect for most of eastern New York through Tuesday night, Hochul’s office said.

The state of emergency was extended to the counties of Rockland, Clinton, Essex and Oswego on Monday afternoon.

Monday’s morning and evening commutes were snarled by the storm. Route 9W was flooded and heavily damaged. Parts of the Palisades Interstate Parkway and the Taconic State Parkway were also shut down. Closures also hit Routes 218, 202 and 22 and the Bronx River Parkway.

The century-old Popolopen Suspension Bridge in Highland Park was damaged and not passable. The New York State Police said Sunday that its troopers helped dozens of drivers out of the area.

On Monday, Metro-North Railroad said tracks on the Hudson Line north of Croton-Harmon and on the Wassaic Branch were drowned in water.

Service north of Croton-Harmon and north of the Southeast station in Brewster on the Harlem Line was suspended on Monday morning. Limited bus service was running from Croton to Poughkeepsie, but stopping only at Cortland and Beacon in between.

Some of the tracks were flooded. Others, especially along the Hudson Line, were washed out, meaning that trackbed eroded under the tracks and needed to be filled back in before service could resume.

Amtrak service between Albany and New York City was temporarily suspended on Monday, that railroad company said. Amtrak trains run on the Metro-North Railroad’s tracks.

Eighty-nine Amtrak passengers were offered food and lodging at the Rensselaer Rail Station near Albany overnight, according to Hochul’s office and Amtrak. Two buses transported the passengers to the city on Monday, said Jason Abrams, an Amtrak spokesman.

Hudson Line service was expected to partially resume Tuesday, Metro-North Railroad said, with trains running hourly between Grand Central Station and Peekskill, and limited bus service continuing to replace train service on the upper Hudson Line.

It was not clear when Amtrak service would return.

Some 13,000 homes lost power on Sunday night, Hochul said.

“As much as it looks clear today, this was a frightening, life-threatening experience,” the governor said in Highland Falls on Monday.

The downpour prompted the National Weather Service to issue flash flood warnings into parts of Connecticut. Flood warnings were also issued throughout much of Vermont as storms moved along the East Coast on Monday.

“Fortunately, the bull’s-eye of this storm seems to be moving further east — unfortunately for the people who live in Vermont,” Hochul said. “We’re not anticipating this scale of damage in other parts of New York.”

“But we’ve seen a lot,” the governor added. “We’ve been through a lot, but this community and this region is resilient. They will build back.”

With News Wire Services