After days of heavy rain, strong winds and thunderstorms, communities across the Lower Hudson Valley are beginning the long recovery from widespread flooding, power outages and storm damage.
The storms dumped several inches of rain across the region, flooding homes and businesses, washing out roads, toppling trees and leaving thousands without power from Dutchess County to Long Island.
Among the hardest-hit communities was Mahopac in Putnam County, where residents and volunteers spent the week cleaning up extensive flood damage.
Mahopac among hardest-hit communities
Some of the most significant damage occurred in Mahopac, where several families were displaced from their homes and a local church suffered extensive flooding.
Dozens of volunteers gathered Monday at St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church on East Lake Boulevard to help the Rev. Szymon Kurpios clean flooded floors and remove water after several inches of rain inundated the building.
Kurpios said floodwaters damaged the church’s basement social hall, first floor and roof. The church’s weekly Friday food pantry, which serves Putnam County residents, has been canceled until further notice.
Just minutes away on See Avenue, three families were displaced after a basement retaining wall collapsed during the storm, leaving the home unstable and leaning. The Town of Carmel has condemned the residence, according to the Mahopac Falls Volunteer Fire Department.
Storms caused widespread flooding across downstate New York
The storms brought heavy rain, flash flooding and damaging winds across much of downstate New York.
New York City recorded nearly 6 inches of rain between Monday and Tuesday, with the highest rainfall totals reported in Sheepshead Bay. Flash flooding clogged storm drains, closed roads and snarled traffic throughout the city.
On Long Island, localized rainfall topped 4 inches in communities including Massapequa in Nassau County and Islip in Suffolk County. Strong winds also knocked down trees and power lines, causing widespread outages following the July 4 holiday weekend.
In the Lower Hudson Valley, Orange County recorded the state’s highest rainfall total at 8.40 inches. Putnam County received 5.54 inches, while rainfall totaled about 4.64 inches near Bear Mountain in Rockland County. Parts of Westchester County, including Peekskill and Shrub Oak, received as much as 6.7 inches.
Thousands lost power as trees and flooding closed roads
Strong winds brought down trees and power lines across the region, leaving more than 14,000 customers without electricity between Saturday and Monday. Most service has since been restored.
In Pawling, a CVS pharmacy and a neighboring business were destroyed after a tree fell onto power lines, igniting a transformer and sparking a fire.
Elsewhere, fallen trees blocked roads throughout Westchester and Rockland counties, though most roadways have since reopened.
Cleanup continues in several areas
Recovery efforts remain underway in some communities.
Agor Lane near Secor Road in Mahopac remained closed Tuesday evening because of downed tree limbs, according to the Mahopac Falls Volunteer Fire Department.
In Rockland County, part of the Palisades Interstate Parkway near the Bear Mountain Bridge also remains closed indefinitely after floodwaters washed out a section of roadway between Exit 19 and the Bear Mountain Traffic Circle. Traffic is being detoured through Bear Mountain State Park and Route 9W.
Residents needing assistance or wishing to report storm damage can visit the New York State Department of Financial Services Disaster and Flood Recovery websitehttps://www.dfs.ny.gov/consumers/disaster_flood.
More thunderstorms possible later this week
While the worst of the flooding has ended, scattered showers and thunderstorms remain in the forecast for Thursday and Friday across the Lower Hudson Valley, New York City and Long Island.
The National Weather Service is not currently forecasting widespread flooding or damaging winds, though isolated thunderstorms could produce locally heavy rainfall. Weekend conditions are expected to improve, with mostly sunny skies forecast Saturday and Sunday.
This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Hudson Valley flooding: Mahopac church, homes damaged as cleanup continues
Reporting by Alexandra Rivera, New York Connect Team / Rockland/Westchester Journal News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Alexandra Rivera, New York Connect Team | USA TODAY Network
