New York — Two people died in flooded basements in New York City on Thursday during a rainstorm that closed roads and caused airport delays, authorities said.
A dive team recovered the body of a 39-year-old man after firefighters received a phone call from a person trapped in the flooded basement of a three-story townhouse in Brooklyn around 4:30 p.m., police said.
A video posted online showed firefighters carrying the victim away through deep water into the street.
In Manhattan, a 43-year-old man was found dead inside a flooded boiler room in the basement of an apartment building, police said. The cause of death was under investigation.
Some areas across the city saw record rainfall. The National Weather Service said preliminary reports showed 1.8 inches (4.57 centimeters) of rain fell in Central Park on Thursday, which would surpass the record of 1.64 inches (4.17 centimeters) set for the park in 1917. LaGuardia Airport recorded 1.97 inches (5 centimeters) of rain, which would break the 1955 record of 1.18 inches (3 centimeters) for that airport.
New York experienced hours of precipitation of varying intensity on Thursday before evening. Pictures and videos on social media showed water rising to car fenders and flowing into subway stations.
“When you look at the amount of water that was falling, our sewer systems weren’t built to handle that. It was just raining constantly the whole time,” Mayor Eric Adams told radio station 1010 WINS.
Street flooding was very localized, turning some intersections with clogged drains into puddles deep enough to float cars, while leaving subsequent blocks with only modest puddles.
Falling tree branches damaged vehicles in some neighborhoods.
The authorities did not immediately announce the names of the two men who died.
The man who died in Brooklyn had entered the flooded basement of the building while trying to rescue one of his dogs, his neighbor Renee Phillips. He told the New York Times.
The dangers that flash floods can pose to residents of thousands of basement apartments in the city became acutely apparent in 2021, when… Heavy rains killed 11 People in such housing.