People rescued from cars amid flash floods in Connecticut

Heavy rainfall in southwestern Connecticut led to mudslides, washed-out roads and flash flooding Sunday, while thunderstorms sweeping through New York City disrupted flights and train service.

The National Weather Service declared a flash flood emergency or warning into Sunday evening for parts of Fairfield, New Haven, Litchfield and Hartford counties, as rivers crested their banks and additional thunderstorms were predicted. Emergency crews carried out widespread water rescues, especially in the Southbury area, and several mudslides were reported, according to the weather service.

The New York City area was also getting inundated Sunday evening, as heavy rains caused all major airports in the region to ground flights. Officials warned of potentially damaging wind gusts. Flash flood warnings were issued in parts of New York City and several counties to its north and west.

At Boston Logan International Airport, flights were experiencing delays of 2 1/2 hours on average, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.

In Connecticut, rivers breached roadways in several places in and around Southbury and Newtown, with some images on social media showing cars submerged up to their windshields.

Stephen Schnell, director of emergency management for the town of Southbury, said the town was under a state of emergency, with police and fire teams dispatched for rescues and many roads closed. There were no reports of injuries or deaths as of early Sunday evening, he said.

The Connecticut Department of Emergency Management warned of a severe risk of flooding around Southbury into the evening and said a state search-and-rescue task force had been deployed there. Several roads were also closed in the Danbury area.

The Housatonic River experienced major flooding at the Stevenson Dam in Monroe, Connecticut, starting around 6 p.m., according to the National Water Prediction Service.

Michael Dyki, a police officer in Oxford, Connecticut, on the other side of the river from Monroe, said police could not respond to calls because their cars were underwater and the roads were damaged.

Elizabeth Savio, 23, a team manager at Panera Bread in Southbury, said Sunday afternoon that she had watched a man swim to a submerged car in the intersection in front of the shopping center to rescue its driver, and that she had helped the two of them reach Panera. The rescuer, Lucas Barber, then swam back to the car for the man’s prosthetic leg and his golden retriever.

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.

© 2024 The New York Times Company