Deadly NY flooding sent boulders tumbling toward homes

Publish date: 2024-07-31

Explore More

Intense floods in Orange County, NY, have sent rocks large enough to kill a person tumbling down mountains toward homes — as one woman drowned after dislodged boulders wrecked her house and floodwaters swept her away.

Heavy rain flooded the streets “almost immediately” in areas including Fort Montgomery on Sunday, resident William Murphy, 56, told The Post.

The deluge washed away entire roads and sent rocks from the mountains at West Point Military Academy falling down toward Murphy’s home.

“The water just washed right through. It was tremendous. It brought down boulders, rocks. It washed out dirt and trees, all onto the roads,” Murphy said.

“The whole mountain washed down. They’re out here now with tractors and trucks bulldozing the debris, the dirt, the mud and all the rocks — fairly large rocks, huge — they could definitely kill you,” he added.

A 35-year-old woman drowned as she tried to flee her flooding home with her dog Sunday night, officials confirmed. According to Murphy, the woman lived in his neighborhood.

A concrete walkway was swept off its foundation due to heavy rains and their home was flooded. James Keivom
The flood washed away entire roads and sent rocks from the mountains. James Keivom

“Her house was completely surrounded by water. The family tried to escape,” Orange County Executive Steve Neuhaus said Sunday. “She was trying to get through [the floodwaters] with her dog and she was overwhelmed by tidal-wave-type waves.”

The flash flooding dislodged boulders and smashed them into her house, damaging part of its wall, Neuhaus added.

Gov. Kathy Hochul confirmed the woman’s death during a Monday morning news conference giving an update on the flooding, which has wreaked havoc in Orange County and the northeastern portion of the state near Vermont.

Heavy rain flooded the streets “almost immediately” in areas. James Keivom
Heavy flooding inundated the streets in Orange County Sunday. U.S. Army

“We also lost an individual’s life. A young woman, 35 years old, who came out saying that her house was taking on too much water was with her dog and her fiancé literally saw her swept away,” Hochul said.

Two of her family members and her dog survived the harrowing ordeal, officials said Sunday.

Rescue teams retrieved her body from a ravine, officials confirmed Monday.

Her identity has not been made public.

One person, a 35-year-old woman, died in the flooding. Marc Zahakos via REUTERS
The flooding sent tons of rocks tumbling down nearby mountains. U.S. Army

One married mother of five said that the water demolished her retaining wall and flooded her home, even though her house is situated high above downtown.

“It’s a disaster zone. It looks like a swamp,” Haleigh Fredrickson, 33, said about her home. “There was so much water, and as much water that ended below us on Main Street, it hit us first.”

Fredrickson said that most of the resources were focused on lower elevations downtown, but her area was also slammed by the deluge.

New York state officials are calling on FEMA to respond to the disaster. AP

“They all passed us — the governor, everybody — passed us to get to town, drove right on by our house and kept going,” she said. “The rest of the town obviously got bombarded with water. All the resources went there. But at the top of the mountain, we got hit bad here.”

Following the brutal 24-hour downpour, US Sens. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and Kristen Gillibrand (D-NY), along with upstate Rep. Pat Ryan (D-NY), have called on the Federal Emergency Management Agency to mobilize its Disaster Assessment Teams and provide any assistance the state may require.

While the threat of flash flooding in northeastern New York along the Vermont border will remain high throughout Monday, the rain will likely relent by early Tuesday, according to meteorologists.

ncG1vNJzZmimqaW8tMCNnKamZ2Jlf3R7j3BmamhfmbKisMuyZKexXZu5sLvDoqWgZaOau7V5waispZyVp8BuwNSmmaWhnpx6tbvWmqmdZZikuqa%2Fjg%3D%3D