NEW YORK (PIX11) — A month’s worth of rain pummelled the New York City area over the weekend, wreaking havoc on the roadways and causing a Bronx building to partially collapse Sunday.
About 200 people were evacuated after a six-story apartment building partially collapsed in Fordham. Emergency personnel were called after the retaining wall caved in near Valentine Avenue and East 180th Street, according to the FDNY.
“The tree fell in the building and did not hit anyone,” said resident Flandersia Jones.
Officials said the weather caused the fourth-floor wall to fall and they feared the damage could cause mudslides. There were no injuries.
“I guess with bad weather the retaining wall collapsed. (There are) no reports of anyone missing. We evacuated the building as it continues to collapse,” FDNY Chief James Sangiamo said.
About 6 inches of rain fell in the tri-state area, forcing New York City to warn residents living on the ground floors to find higher elevation. City streets and major roadways were backed up, stranding helpless drivers and leaving crews to clean up the wreckage Monday morning.
“It just came out of nowhere in no time,” a resident said.
The Grand Central Parkway, Cross Island Expressway, and Belt Parkway were among the highways that flooded. The Long Island Expressway also had to be temporarily shut down in both directions in Queens.
The FDNY had to prioritize high-water rescues for motorists who were caught off-guard by the weather. One driver was forced to climb out of his car window before calling for help.
“We had to crawl out our car window and called 911 for an hour (but) no one came,” the driver said.
The storms also caused power outages in the area, including 10,000 customers who lost power in parts of New Jersey Sunday night.
