A powerful nor’easter has battered the US East Coast with torrential rain, damaging winds and dangerous waves, leaving at least one person dead and flooding communities in New York and New Jersey.
In coastal areas, residents used kayaks and canoes to move through submerged streets, passing parked cars that were partly or almost completely under water. Flood warnings remained in force across large stretches of the coastline, with further disruption expected.
Leighton Brown, a 56-year-old New York City Housing Department employee, died in Brooklyn after being struck by a falling tree, officials said.
Flooding was reported in New Jersey at Long Beach Island, Surf City and Rumson. In one area, a fox was seen swimming through floodwater.
Tens of thousands of people across the north-east were without electricity on Sunday morning, including more than 40,000 in New York and about 30,000 in Connecticut. More than half of the outages had been restored by Sunday evening.
Nor’easter threatens further flooding
The storm had been moving slowly along the Atlantic coast before turning inland over New Jersey. Governors Kathy Hochul of New York and Mikie Sherrill of New Jersey declared states of emergency in areas facing the most severe conditions.
Forecasters warned that more rain could fall across the mid-Atlantic and north-eastern states through Monday night, bringing further localised flash flooding. Urban areas, roads, small streams and narrow canyons were considered particularly vulnerable.
New York City could receive another one to two inches of rain, while parts of New England, including Boston, were expected to see two to four inches, with as much as seven inches possible in some locations.
Wind gusts of up to 50mph were forecast across the area between New Jersey and Long Island. The weather service warned that additional power cuts and fallen trees were possible, while inland parts of New Jersey and areas as far north as New England could also experience flooding.
The storm forced the New York Yankees to cancel their final regular-season game against the Baltimore Orioles at Yankee Stadium. At MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, strong winds sent portable toilets sliding across the car park during the New York Giants’ game against the Tennessee Titans.
High tide adds to coastal danger
Officials urged people along the eastern seaboard to prepare for repeated flooding, particularly during high tide. “Prepare immediately for significant inundation in low-lying areas near the shore, including roads under water and impacts to homes and businesses,” the weather service said in an advisory.
Coastal water levels in New Jersey and Delaware were expected to rise by as much as 12ft. Moderate tidal flooding was also forecast around parts of coastal New York, including Jamaica Bay and lower New York Harbour, although conditions were expected to ease as the storm weakened.
Waves approaching hurricane-force levels were recorded at Surf City in New Jersey and Montauk Point in New York, where gusts reached about 74mph and 81mph respectively. Dozens of flooding and damaging wind incidents were reported from North Carolina to New York.
A swimmer reported missing after being seen at a Fire Island beach on Saturday was later found alive and well, state police said. The man contacted police himself after learning through news coverage that a search was under way.
