US: Eastern Seaboard faces prolonged rainfall after weekend flood chaos

Following flash floods that disrupted transport, left vehicles stuck, and necessitated emergency rescues, the already flooded US Eastern Seaboard was prepared for further rain on Tuesday.

A flood warning remained in force for sections of New Jersey until Tuesday morning, and the National Weather Service (NWS) predicted that the slow-moving summer storm will continue to rain the Mid-Atlantic area throughout the middle of the week.

“A moisture-rich Summer-time airmass over much of the eastern/central U.S. will continue to lead to areas of scattered to widespread thunderstorms capable of heavy downpours and flash flooding,” the agency’s forecaster stated.

On Monday night, torrential rains flooded sections of New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Maryland.

New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy announced a state of emergency, asking residents to remain indoors.

According to a CBS video footage, rescue workers in Scotch Plains, New Jersey, waded into surging floodwaters armed with red flotation devices after many cars got stuck due to the rapid surge.

Authorities throughout the area, even as far south as Virginia, have warned of dangerous driving conditions owing to the likelihood of flash floods.

The NWS advised vehicles encountering flooded roadways to “turn around.”

“Most flood deaths occur in vehicles,” according to the report.

In New York City, social media users uploaded footage of dirty brown water spouting like a geyser in front of a subway station’s turnstiles.

Multiple underground lines were either blocked or running with delays, while major traffic bottlenecks paralysed several of the city’s key thoroughfares.

JFK, LaGuardia and Newark airports temporarily suspended departures Monday night, forcing the cancellation of dozens of flights.

In Lancaster Pennsylvania, severe flash flooding prompted a disaster declaration, while emergency responders plucked people from flooded basements and conducted 16 water rescues.

“Intense rainfall dropped over 7 inches of rain in less than five hours,” the fire department in the county’s Mount Joy Borough posted on Facebook.

Staten Island recorded between 4 to 6 inches (10 to 15 centimeters) of rain on Monday night, according to the New York borough’s emergency notification system.

Zohran Mamdani, the Democrat running for mayor of New York, wrote on social media that the rapid flooding emphasized the need for climate-proofing the city.

“We must upgrade our infrastructure for this new climate reality,” he wrote.

The NWS said the storm would be concentrated “across the southern Mid-Atlantic/Appalachians on Tuesday, before shifting northward” on Wednesday.

The latest bad weather follows historic Fourth of July flooding that devastated parts of central Texas, killing at least 131 people, including three dozen children, and leaving more than 100 people still missing.