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Severe flooding in Connecticut after torrential rain, parts of NYC and New Jersey also affected
DANBURY, Conn. — Connecticut was hit with flash flooding and mudslides Sunday night that forced some residents out of their homes.
At least 100 people were evacuated by search and rescue teams, according to Gov. Ned Lamont.
“This was an historic storm in some areas of Connecticut. Once daylight occurs, crews will be out to survey damage and begin clean-up. If you live in the western portion of Connecticut, we are urging you to stay home if you can until the flooding has receded, and definitely do not ever attempt to drive through any flooded roads. A good number of roads in the western portion of the state are closed and are expected to remain closed for an extended period,” Lamont said.
Floodwaters were fast and furious
Two people were reported missing after getting swept away in floodwaters in Oxford. One of them was inside a car and the other was trying to hold onto a sign while crews attempted to rescue them in time.
In Danbury, many roads closed off. Police said a part of the street was eroded by the floodwaters. Those living in the area quickly grabbed what they could and left.
“It’s crazy. It has never been this intense before,” Angelica Alvarenga said.
Alvarenga captured cellphone video of the mayhem at the Berkshire Hills apartment complex on Shelter Rock road, where she lives. Floodwaters eroded the roadway, cutting a path through landscaping.
“Our foundation is lifting. There are rocks blocking cars in. One neighbor pavement to go down the side of the house has collapsed,” Alvarenga said.
Police blocked off roadways as the water rose quickly, leaving cars stranded.
“Over there by Meckauer Park, that’s completely flooded. That’s over a foot and a half under,” neighbor Kodi Benvenuti said.
Benvenuti said he grabbed what he could before evacuating.
“I just have a backpack with clothes. I got to do some laundry and my lunch box,” Benvenuti said.
“I grabbed some bananas, my shampoo, some clothes for the next few days,” Alvarenga added.
Neighbors were told that once the rain stops, engineers will assess the damage. Many are crossing their fingers and hoping Mother Nature spared their homes.
“They told us we wouldn’t be able to go back in for at least three days,” Alvarenga said.
In Southbury, the fast waters of Purchase Brook overwhelmed the Flat Hill Road bridge. Just outside in Heritage Village, the water was too tough for a storm drain as it gushed into a roadway.
The story in New Jersey and NYC
CBS News New York
Flooding along I-78 in Hillside, New Jersey left cars stranded in floodwaters. Traffic was at a standstill while some drivers took a chance and went right through the flooding near Chestnut Avenue in Union County. New Jersey State Police said everyone was safely removed from their vehicles and cars were towed.
Parts of Kearny were also flooded, including along Schuyler Avenue, where water was seen bubbling from drains and manholes.
In New York City, there was flooding right outside the 1 train at 157th Street and Broadway in Washington Heights. Video shows a man carrying a woman on his back over the floodwaters, while some cars were just driving right through that water.
Water was also seen pouring from the ceiling like a waterfall inside Chelsea Market. There was no immediate word on the extent of the damage.
In the Bronx, the severe weather may have also played a role in a tree came crashing down at Bronx Boulevard and East 233rd Street in the Wakefield section. One person suffered non-life-threatening injuries, police said.
Delays for commuters, train and airline passengers
Metro-North’s Danbury branch was suspended in both directions Monday morning due to flooding. The Waterbury branch was also suspended because of a mudslide caused by the rain.
Click here for the latest MTA service alerts.
Amtrak had suspended all rail service between New York and Philadelphia due to flooding, but it was restored late Sunday night.
The weather also caused some flight disruptions at New York City-area airports. As of 11 p.m., LaGuardia had the most cancellations with 342, in addition to 227 delays. John F. Kennedy International had 145 cancellations and 552 delays and Newark Liberty had 254 cancellations and 328 delays.
Power outages
PSEG Long Island had the most impacted customers with more than 2,600 customer in the dark. JCP&L said it had nearly 1,800 without power and Con Edison reported 1,000 customers dealing with outages.
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Paul Whelan, freed in prisoner swap with Russia, tells other American detainees: “We’re coming for you”
Washington — Nearly seven weeks after the Russians handed over Paul Whelan on a tarmac in Ankara, Turkey, the Marine veteran stood on the steps of the U.S. Capitol with a message for other Americans who are held abroad.
“We’re coming for you,” he told reporters Tuesday night after he met with lawmakers. “It might take time, but we’re coming.”
Whelan said he spoke with lawmakers about how the government can better support detainees after they’re released.
“We spoke about how the next person’s experience could be better,” he said. “What the government could do for the next person that’s held hostage and comes home — the care and support that other people might need, especially people that are in a worse situation. There are people coming back that lived in the dirt without shoes for three years, people that were locked up in hideous conditions for 20 years. They need support.”
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The U.S. secured Whelan’s release in August in one of the largest prisoner swaps since the end of the Cold War. The complex deal came after months of sensitive negotiations between the U.S., Russia, Germany, Slovenia, Poland and Norway.
As part of the deal, Russia released 16 prisoners while the Western countries released eight Russians. Whelan was released alongside Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, Russian-American radio journalist Alsu Kurmasheva and Vladimir Kara-Murza, a U.S. green card holder and Kremlin critic.
Whelan, who had been the longest-held American detainee in Russia, was arrested in December 2018 when he traveled to the country to attend a friend’s wedding. He was convicted of espionage in a secret trial and sentenced to 16 years in prison in 2020.
Whelan, his family and the U.S. government vehemently denied that he was a spy and accused Russia of using him as a political pawn. The U.S. government considered him to be wrongfully detained, a rare designation that put more government resources toward securing his release.
But a deal to secure his freedom was long elusive. He remained behind bars as Russia freed Marine veteran Trevor Reed and women’s basketball star Brittney Griner — both of whom were detained after Whelan’s arrest — in prisoner swaps with the U.S.
The U.S. said it pushed for his inclusion in both exchanges, but Russia refused. It led to Whelan advocating for his own release from a remote prison camp, calling government officials and journalists to make sure that he wasn’t forgotten.
When the plane carrying Whelan, Gershkovish and Kurmasheva landed in Maryland on Aug. 1, Whelan was the first to disembark. He was greeted by President Biden, who gave Whelan his American flag pin, and Vice President Kamala Harris.
“Whether he likes it or not, he changed the world,” Rep. Haley Stevens, a Michigan Democrat, told reporters Tuesday.
Whelan’s case and his family’s constant pressure on the U.S. government brought more attention to the cases of Americans who are wrongfully detained by foreign governments.
Haley said Whelan is a reminder to other Americans considering traveling to Russia that “you have a target on your back.”
Whelan said it’s been an adjustment acclimating to life back in the U.S., especially learning the latest technology like his iPhone 15.
“I was in a really remote part of Russia,” he said. “We really didn’t have much. The conditions were poor. The Russians said the poor conditions were part of the punishment. And coming back to see this sort of thing now is a bit of a shock, but it’s a good shock.”