Cleanup underway after roads, rails and buses inundated with water from heavy storms
Strong storms caused flash flooding across the Tri-State area on Thursday, briefly closing sections of major roadways across the city, just as the evening rush hour approached, and the LIRR suspended service on one of its busiest lines as flooding covered the tracks.
Flooding in Queens
The sudden downpour made the Bayside LIRR stop look more like a Venetian canal, with the train stopping just short of the flood.
Passengers waited two hours before first responders could help them to safety.
"When they said we had to climb down all of a sudden, I was having a panic attack," one rider said.
About a mile down the line, there was more damage.
Diedre and Kosti Agapakis didn't know where to start after a sudden rockslide poured into their yard.
Ring camera video showed the dramatic moment a retaining wall failed.
"It was just pretty frightening to be completely honest," Agapakis said.
The avalanche of rocks all came from the Long Island Railroad Port Washington branch.
Inspectors from the MTA walked the rails to determine the extent of the undermining.
Homeowners feared this would happen.
"When it rains hard, there's nowhere to go, and from what I've been told, there's a very small channel to pass through, and debris gets caught up in there, and the LIRR tries to do periodic checks, but I don't think it's been sufficient," Agapakis said.
The MTA dispatched inspectors to assess the damage along the Port Washington branch.
Train service along that line remains suspended, with reduced service expected Friday morning.
Also in Queens, over 100 passengers were rescued from a stranded Long Island Rail Road train near the Bayside station. The train became stuck in rising floodwaters during rush hour.
Commuter Troubles
Cars and trucks were stranded on the Clearview Expressway in Queens. Drivers were rescued from disabled vehicles, and commuters on subways and buses also saw their share of problems.
It was another mission impossible for the New York City commuter.
Water flowed into an MTA bus as it waded through flooded streets in East Flatbush late Thursday afternoon.
In Park Slope, subway riders dodged water spouting from the walls and flooded floors.
It was less of a commute and more of an arduous journey for Jose and Leslie.
"Very frustrated. We were at the subway station waiting for almost an hour. We're trying to go home," Leslie Batista said.
They finally crossed the finish line at the 145th Street station after waiting for the D train.
The D trains were among several lines impacted not by the storm, but by the heat that caused a signal power outage Thursday morning at the West 4th Street station.
It caused major disruptions for riders who waited for long periods. It took roughly 8 hours to restore power.
Elizabeth flooding
In Elizabeth, New Jersey, video from outside of a restaurant shows just how high the water came up.
All of the rain made the intersection look more like a lake.
South Orange Lightning
A lightning strike in New Jersey was so powerful that it hurled pieces of a tree as far as 150 feet.
The bolt struck on Woodland Road in South Orange, leaving just a portion of the tree's trunk standing.
There were branches scattered on the ground and chunks of wood that landed on a roof across the street.
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