At least one New Yorker was killed Sunday night when “tidal-wave”-like floodwaters swept her away in a devastating rainstorm that pummeled parts of the Hudson Valley and wreaked havoc on roads and homes across the region.
Gov. Kathy Hochul declared a State of Emergency for Orange County and Ontario County Sunday night, stating that the counties “experienced life-threatening flooding over the past few hours” — totaling about eight inches of rain by 10 p.m.
A woman in her 30s drowned as she tried to flee her Orange County home with her dog, County Executive Steve Neuhaus said Sunday night.
“Her house was completely surrounded by water. The family tried to escape,” he said. “She was trying to get through [the floodwaters] with her dog and she was overwhelmed by tidal-wave type waves.”
The flash flooding dislodged boulders and smashed the large rocks into her house, damaging part of its wall, he said.
Two other family members and the dog survived the harrowing ordeal, officials said, according to PIX 11.
Rescue teams were trying to retrieve the woman’s body from the waters Sunday night.
Several New Yorkers remained unaccounted for late into the night during the unrelenting storm.
Hochul said on WCBS 880 there were more “missing individuals” in Orange County, without specifying a number.
“The amount of water is extraordinary and it’s still a very dangerous situation,” she said, noting one house was swept away.
She warned that “it’s going to be a rough night.”
New York State Police and other first responders brought multiple stranded motorists to safety Sunday night, a spokesperson said.
Five swift-water rescue teams and a high-axle vehicle were deployed by the state to aid in rescues in high flood waters.
Authorities continued to do sweeps of the affected areas late into the night to make sure other drivers weren’t stuck in the cars, police said.
“We’re looking for people who may still be out there,” Trooper Steven Nevel told The Post Sunday night.
It’s unknown how many people have been rescued so far.
State police urged drivers to avoid parts of the Palisades Interstate Parkway in Orange and Rockland counties because of the heavy flooding.
The parkway was shuttered from Exit 14 to the Long Mountain traffic circle, along with many other major roads.
“You couldn’t even get in there if you tried to,” Nevel said. “But even if you did, it wouldn’t be beneficial to you.”
Some drivers were forced to sleep in their cars Sunday night or stay in hotels that might not have power, Neuhaus told PIX 11.
Rockland County Executive Ed Day told the news station six hikers and dozens of drivers needed to be rescued from the storm’s wrath.
The storm has particularly devastated the area around Highland Falls and West Point, where the United States Military Academy is located.
Officials are worried that some historic buildings there might have been damaged in the storm.
Videos posted on social media showed brown-colored floodwaters with cars engulfed in the water in West Point.
Neuhaus, the Orange County executive, told the Times-Union the area around Highland Falls closest to the Hudson River was “an absolute war zone.”
He called the damage “massive” and said repair work could take months with many flooded homes in Highland Falls likely to be condemned.
Officials said the storm had already caused tens of millions of dollars in damage.
The storm shut off power for thousands of New Yorkers across the region.
As of Sunday evening, there were more than 12,000 power outages in Orange, Putnam, Dutchess, Albany and Ulster counties.
The Metro-North Railroad announced late Sunday that the Hudson Line was suspended north of Croton-Harmon due to the battering storm.
Service was expected to be unavailable through the day on Monday.
“Due to the impact of severe storms in Northern Westchester, Putnam and Dutchess counties, leaving behind high water, trees, boulders and other debris, sections of Metro-North’s Hudson Line tracks north of Croton-Harmon have become impassable,” the transit agency said in a news release.
Crews were working throughout the night to check out the damage and clear tracks of debris, mud and water.
Putnam County Executive Kevin Byrne told The Post Sunday evening the walloping rain caused a sinkhole to open up under the foundation of a Carmel house which forced the residents to evacuate.
A retaining wall in the homeowner’s basement collapsed, according to county officials.
First responders found a large hole had opened up on the side of the house and front lawn when they reached the shocking scene.
Flash flood warnings were issued for much of the Hudson Valley, as well as parts of the Big Apple Sunday night, the National Weather Service said.
“Over an inch of rain has fallen in parts of the Bronx and Manhattan in the last hour, with another 1 to 2 inches expected,” the National Weather Service tweeted around 9:30 p.m. “Flash flooding is expected to begin shortly, if not already occurring.”
The city’s emergency notification system warned residents Sunday they “should prepare now to move to higher ground if needed” due to potential “life-threatening flooding to basements.”
Almost 53 million people along the Eastern Seaboard were at risk of flooding through Monday morning, according to Fox Weather.
Millions of people from Washington DC through Philadelphia and New York and up to Vermont faced the most serious risk, Fox Weather said.
