Flash Flood Watch In Effect For Parts Of Tri-State Area Through Tuesday Night
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork/AP) -- The National Weather Service has issued a flash flood watch for parts of the Tri-State area through Tuesday night after heavy rain Sunday sent water flooding through the streets.
A half-inch to three-quarters of an inch of rainfall per hour is possible Monday. It could cause flash flooding especially in poor drainage areas. More heavy rain is expected Tuesday.
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The heavy rain began Sunday. Flooding closed the Long Island Expressway in both directions at Utopia Parkway in Queens and an entrance ramp on the Jackie Robinson Parkway at Union Turnpike. It slowed traffic on the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway and suspended or delayed some Staten Island Railway service.
Heavy Rain Causes Flooding Across Tri-State
Elmsford police used flares to block off the on-ramp to the parkway as pedestrians took cover underneath a bridge.
"When we get these rapid rains and these storm surges, this area ends up flooding," said Leo Cattarini, owner of Rini's Restaurant and Wine Bar.
In New Jersey, the downpours caused flooding, leaving many motorists surrounded by rising water.
Some drivers were forced to abandon their cars in Newark after getting stuck in knee-deep flood water.
In Hoboken, firefighters hosed down sidewalks Monday trying to clear the sediment and waste left behind by the flood waters.
"The black murk washed up on the corner of the sidewalk, you smell it when it washes up," resident Jackson Manning told CBS2's Janelle Burrell. "This is lower than it is at the riverfront, so it gets filled up pretty quick."
Floodwater Make Mess Of Hoboken
"It was just disgusting," said resident Michelle Grady. "It's typical Hoboken for you."
"Pretty normal for Hoboken," said resident Conor Caffrey. "Normal rainstorm and half the city is flooded."
Near Ninth Street and Monroe, a pizza delivery man in a small black sedan was stranded in several inches of rain water. Crews used heavy equipment to push the car to dry ground, then firefighters stepped in to push it over to the side of the road.
It's a scenario Caffrey said he knows all too well.
"We actually lost our car in the hurricane a few years ago so it is an eerie reminder that you have to be careful where you park in town," he said.
And though it may be common for people in Hoboken, the stench from the waste runoff is something they never get used to.
"Every time, never fails," said resident Robert Muriel. "Every time it happens."
The city is in the process of getting new pumps at the treatment facility to alleviate the flooding and sewage issue.
"Right now there's not a pump that really supports northwest Hoboken and that's what we're looking towards getting it completed," Mayor Dawn Zimmer told 1010 WINS' Rebecca Granet.
Zimmer said the pump is fully designed and they hope to start installing it this summer.
Flooding In Bergen County
In some parts of Bergen County, more than 2 inches of rain fell in an hour, turning some streets into rivers within minutes, WCBS 880's Sean Adams reported.
"One person tried to drive through Lincoln Boulevard (in Emerson), and the Fire Department rescued at least, if not a third person, out of that car," said Joe Solimando, superintendent of the Public Works Department.
The water quickly receded, leaving rocks, mud and debris. City workers are inspecting roads to make sure there are no sinkholes.
Clearing will begin Tuesday night. Sunny conditions and a high of 60 are forecast for Wednesday.
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