A slow-moving storm system brought heavy rain across much of New York state on Sunday evening, flooding streets and forcing the rescue of drivers whose vehicles were stranded on flooded roads, authorities said.
According to the National Weather Service, two areas appeared to be most affected: Rensselaer County and nearby towns, and further south in the Hudson Valley, including Dutchess, Orange and Ulster Counties.
Provincial officials, police services and other agencies issued dozens of emergency calls in response to the floods.
In Saratoga County, near the city of Waterford, Routes 4 and 32 were inundated with up to two feet of water, said Andrei Evbuoma, a meteorologist with the Albany Weather Service.
Parts of nearby roads in the area were impassable, he added, complicating rescue efforts.
Alan C. Mack, Orange County’s deputy emergency management commissioner, said Sunday night that officials were still trying to get a full assessment of the potential damage and danger.
“We’ve gotten to the point where we know there are people in trouble, and we can’t reach them because the roads are all blocked,” Mack said, adding that he didn’t know how many people were trapped.
An Amtrak train to New York City was stopped Sunday evening as it approached Poughkeepsie, with an Amtrak employee saying over a loudspeaker that there was a “complete washout of both tracks” south of Poughkeepsie, making train travel impossible.
The train was put in reverse so it could travel back to Rhinecliff, NY, where Amtrak officials were determining what to do with passengers on board.
Nicholas Bogel-Burroughs reporting contributed.