NEW YORK, New York — A violent storm tore through New York and New Jersey on Wednesday, turning streets into waterways, trapping cars, knocking down trees, and cutting power to thousands of residents in a matter of hours.
The storm moved fast — and it hit hard.
Brooklyn and Queens Were Hit the Worst
Neighborhoods across Brooklyn and Queens bore the brunt of the flooding. Roads and sidewalks disappeared under rushing water, forcing drivers to abandon their vehicles and residents to wade through ankle-deep — and in some places, waist-deep — floodwater.
On Hempstead Avenue in Queens Village, a bus pushed its way through several inches of standing water. Passengers watched as the road outside their windows turned into a river.
In Fresh Meadows, one driver described taking a detour that ended in disaster.
“Ended up in this swimming pool over here, so this is a bad situation,” he said. “I don’t know what is going to happen with my car.”
Over on Cooper Avenue near 78th Street, police taped off an underpass entirely. Two vehicles were trapped under several feet of water, and officers blocked traffic from entering the flooded stretch.
“It Was Violent and Very, Very Fast”
Near the Forest Park Golf Course, residents said floodwater overtook their street in minutes — not hours.
“It was violent and it was very, very fast,” said Queens resident Christina Moloon. “The van almost floated away. It was, like, nuts.”
Her neighbor Joe Conti stepped outside to find the situation already out of control.
“I came out. There was water too high for me to even open the doors on the car,” he said.
Even schools felt the impact. P.S. 87 canceled volleyball practice after floodwater poured into the school gymnasium.
“The water was up to my ankle,” said student Sonia Moloon. “The security desk was like flooding.”
In Woodhaven, trees toppled over and parts of the neighborhood went under several inches of water. The Long Island Expressway was shut down in both directions at the Cross Island Parkway late Wednesday evening — one of the busiest stretches of highway in the country — as floodwaters made travel impossible.
Trees Down From Brooklyn to New Jersey
The damage was not limited to flooding. The storm snapped and uprooted trees from Gravesend in Brooklyn all the way to Ozone Park in Queens, where a parked car took a direct hit from a falling tree.
Across the border in New Jersey, downed trees and power lines left communities scrambling. At the peak of the storm, more than 10,000 people across the region were without electricity.
Cleanup Has Begun — But the Threat Lingers
By Wednesday night, residents were already out on their streets, sweeping mud and debris from sidewalks and driveways.
“I think if we would have gotten rain for a few more minutes, we would have been in big trouble,” Christina Moloon said.
Cleanup crews are working to clear roads and restore power across affected neighborhoods. Residents are urged to avoid low-lying areas and flooded underpasses until conditions are confirmed safe.
Did the storm impact your neighborhood? Share what you saw in the comments — your update could help someone nearby stay safe.
