The eight inches of rain that drenched New York City on Sunday broke the record for most rainfall in a single day, causing traffic headaches and flooding, but fortunately no major incidents were reported.
According to the New York Daily News, by 9 p.m., 7.7 inches of rain fell at Kennedy International Airport, breaking the old record for one-day rainfall of 6.3 inches in 1984. In Central Park, where the city’s official rainfall total is recorded, the News reported that 5.8 inches of rain fell by 10:45 p.m., making it the fifth-wettest day of all time there.
The flooding from the heavy rain caused some traffic and transit delays in Queens.
The Wall Street Journal reported that MTA workers spent Sunday pumping water out of the subway system and fixing signal and switch problems that plagued the E, L and N lines. The buses that were deployed in place of the trains had to avoid flooded streets in Queens.
There was also flooding on Metropolitan Avenue in Middle Village. The water reached up to the car tires, forcing drivers to slow down when driving on that avenue. Residents in Lindenwood also had to drive through or weave around heavily flooded streets.
According to NY1, Lenita Christendatt, who lives on Emerald Street off of Linden Boulevard, said water from the flood flowed into her basement. She had to throw away everything she kept down there due to the damage the water caused.
An Eyewitness News video showed flooding from a nearby pond on 147th Avenue and 235th Street in Brookville Park. The flood caused drivers to drive slowly when going over the bridge or avoid it completely.
Other than the flooding, Community Board 5 in Glendale said he didn’t receive complaints for major issues in that area.
This is in sharp contrast to an August 2007 rainstorm, which crippled New York City’s transit system after every subway line was delayed or disabled due to flooding. That storm also knocked out power for 1,600 residents in New York City and Westchester.
A September 2010 rainstorm caused power outages, small fires and damages to vehicles, homes and stores. The storm also killed a woman near Jewel Avenue after a tree fell onto her car.
by Luis Gronda
