Deadly Floods Hit New York City as Torrential Rain Submerges Streets and Homes + Video

According to Rokna, citing Associated press, two people lost their lives in flooded basements across New York City on Thursday as a powerful rainstorm inundated streets, disrupted traffic, and caused delays at airports, officials said.

Authorities reported that a scuba team recovered the body of a 39-year-old man after emergency services responded to a call about a person trapped in the basement of a three-story townhouse in Brooklyn around 4:30 p.m. Video footage shared online showed firefighters wading through knee-deep water to carry the victim from the scene.

In a separate incident in Manhattan, a 43-year-old man was found dead inside a water-filled basement boiler room of an apartment complex. The cause of his death remains under investigation.

Parts of the city saw near-record rainfall. According to preliminary data from the National Weather Service, Central Park recorded 1.8 inches (4.57 centimeters) of rain on Thursday, surpassing the previous record of 1.64 inches (4.17 centimeters) set in 1917. LaGuardia Airport logged 1.97 inches (5 centimeters), breaking its 1955 record of 1.18 inches (3 centimeters).

Rain fell for several hours, continuing into the evening commute and submerging vehicles, subway entrances, and intersections in several neighborhoods. “When you look at the amount of water that was coming down, our sewer systems are simply not built for that,” Mayor Eric Adams told 1010 WINS radio.

Flooding varied significantly by area, with some streets transformed into temporary lakes deep enough to float cars, while nearby blocks saw only minor pooling. In some neighborhoods, falling tree branches also damaged vehicles.

Officials have not yet released the names of the two men. The Brooklyn victim reportedly entered his flooded basement in an effort to rescue one of his dogs, a neighbor, Renée Phillips, told The New York Times.

The tragedy has once again underscored the dangers faced by residents living in the city’s many basement apartments — a risk tragically highlighted in 2021, when 11 people died during similar flash floods.