2 Women Dead in Connecticut Following Tri-State Area Storms Floodwaters Sweep Away!
Two women tragically lost their lives after flash floods swept through parts of Connecticut, New York, and New Jersey. The severe weather hit the Tri-State area on Sunday, August 18, bringing nearly a foot of rain in some locations, according to reports from NBC News.
The victims, identified as 65-year-old Ethelyn Joiner and 71-year-old Audrey Rostkowski, were residents of Oxford, Connecticut. The women were caught in the rising floodwaters and swept away from their vehicles. Their bodies were later recovered, as reported by NBC affiliate WVIT and CBS affiliate WFSB.
Connecticut State Police confirmed the tragic incident in an update on Monday, August 19. “Both Oxford residents were found deceased after being swept away from their vehicles,” they stated, according to the New York Daily News. The storms that swept through the region claimed at least one other life, according to NBC News.
The extreme weather led to a state of emergency being declared in Suffolk County, New York, where flash flooding caused widespread damage. ABC affiliate WABC-TV reported that multiple rescues took place across the county on the night of August 18 as the heavy rain overwhelmed local drainage systems.
In Danbury, Connecticut, about 20 people were rescued after their vehicles became stranded in floodwaters. Local fire officials confirmed that the rescues occurred when drivers attempted to navigate flooded roads and found themselves trapped.
The flooding also forced the evacuation of around 100 units at the Glen Apartments complex. Additionally, a large mudslide caused by the heavy rain damaged eight units at a condominium complex on Shelter Rock Road.
Just five miles away in Beacon Falls, Connecticut, emergency crews had to rescue 18 people and a dog from the Brookside Inn Restaurant and a nearby home. WVIT reported that only one person required medical assessment for injuries.
Jeremy Rodrigo, a volunteer firefighter in Beacon Falls, described the scene as water engulfed the restaurant, trapping those inside. “We were worried about the structural integrity of the restaurant,” Rodrigo said, noting that cars and large objects were floating by and hitting the building.
In Newark, New Jersey, the heavy rain led to the collapse of a residential building’s roof, as reported by News 12 New Jersey. Public safety director Fritz Fragé said that 64 residents from 19 units had to be relocated to hotel rooms due to the collapse.
The New Jersey Turnpike Authority issued a travel alert during the storm, warning of weather-related closures on the Garden State Parkway and New Jersey Turnpike. Six vehicles, including a state trooper’s car, were submerged in floodwaters, according to WABC-TV.
The flooding also disrupted rail traffic in New York and New Jersey. On August 18, Amtrak temporarily suspended service between New York and Philadelphia due to the severe flooding, NBC News reported. Additionally, Metro-North Railroad suspended the Waterbury Branch service in both directions on Monday, August 18, due to a mudslide near Seymour.