Floods have killed 2 people in storms that have devastated areas of Connecticut and Long Island, New York, and caused heavy rain in parts of New Jersey.
The floods were caused by a “training thunderstorm”, and rains came down rapidly, catching residents off guard and causing transport chaos.
Perfect Storm Conditions
The conditions in the areas over Sunday and Monday were extremely favorable for the formation of the storms, explained William Syrett, a Penn State University meteorologist.
He said that the “perfect conditions” were in place due to the level of moisture in the air, and the idleness of the weather system.
Hurricane Ernesto
The storm is not directly connected to Hurricane Ernesto, which is currently in the North Atlantic.
However, the hurricane had caused some dangerous surfs to form on the eastern coast of the US around the same time of the floods.
Submerged Avenues
The heavy, rapid rainfall transformed roads into powerful rivers, endangering residents even some distance from the coast and rivers.
The total rainfall was substantial; some areas of western Connecticut saw up to 30cm of rainfall.
Deaths in Oxford
Oxford was tragically affected by the storms, which caused the deaths of 2 women, who were unable to be rescued.
The 2 women were witnessed swept away by a rapid torrent, before their bodies were recovered and identified later on.
Rescue Attempt
Firefighters had attempted to rescue the 2 women, but were unable to reach them in time.
One of the women got out of her car and tried to hold onto a sign, but the torrent was too powerful.
Other Rescue Efforts
Search and rescue teams were deployed on Sunday night, and were able to reach and evacuate many residents.
Connecticut State Governor Ned Lamont said that over 100 people were evacuated by teams working through Sunday night.
Building Back
The damage done by the storms was so devastating that Lamont has requested additional federal disaster funds to deal with the aftermath.
He offered up a grave assessment: “This was as severe a storm as we can remember.”
Thunderstorms in Training
Professor Syrett described the storms as “training thunderstorms”, to illustrate the behavior of the storms.
Similar rains move over the same area again and again, “like … a car on a train track.”
Double Trouble
The Town of Brookhaven’s Supervisor, Dan Panico, also made a grim assessment of the outcome of the tragic weather pattern.
He called it “an environmental and economic disaster.” Continuing, he said: “Millions of gallons of water, turtles, fish, everything is downstream along with the personal belongings of many of the houses that were flooded.”
