WESTERLY, R.I. — Tropical Storm Henri socked the Northeast with strong winds as it made landfall Sunday on the coast of Rhode Island and sent lashing bands of rain westward, knocking out power to over 140,000 homes and causing deluges that closed bridges, swamped roads and left some people stranded in their vehicles.
The storm was downgraded from a hurricane before reaching New England, leaving many to breathe a sigh of relief, but the National Hurricane Center warned the slow-moving storm would continue dumping heavy rains on wide swaths of the region well beyond the weekend.
Over two days, heavy, sustained rains flooded areas as far southwest as New Jersey, even as it took on tropical depression status.
The storm threatened to stall near the New York-Connecticut border overnight, before pivoting east and moving out toward the Atlantic Ocean today. Some of the highest rain totals were expected inland. There were few early reports of major coastal damage due to wind or surf.
President Joe Biden on Sunday promised to provide federal help to the residents of affected states.
The president declared disasters in much of the region, opening the purse strings for federal recovery aid.
Biden earlier had offered his condolences to the people of Tennessee, after severe flooding from an unrelated storm killed at least 22, including young children and elderly people, and left dozens of others missing.
When it made landfall near Westerly, Rhode Island, Henri had sustained winds of about 60 mph and gusts of up to 70 mph, according to the National Hurricane Center.
By late Sunday, Henri had sustained winds of about 30 mph as it moved across Connecticut toward the New York state line.
Some of the worst rain arrived well before the storm’s center. In Helmetta, New Jersey, some 200 residents fled for higher ground, taking refuge in hotels or with friends and family, as flood waters inundated their homes.
“It came so quick — in the blink of an eye,” said the town’s mayor, Christopher Slavicek, whose parents were spending the night after fleeing their home.