A 39-year-old man died on Thursday after he became trapped in a flooded basement in Brooklyn, as sudden heavy, record-setting rains brought flash flooding to the New York area, the police said.
A neighbor said the man who died had become trapped when he went back to his basement in the Flatbush neighborhood to rescue one of his dogs. A diver pulled him out, a Fire Department spokesman said. He was taken by ambulance to Kings County Hospital, where he died. Officials did not confirm whether his death was caused by flooding.
The death in Brooklyn came as between one and three inches of rain fell across the tristate area on Thursday, according to Dominic Ramunni, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service. The downpour broke three daily rainfall records across the metropolitan area. LaGuardia Airport recorded over two inches today, with Newark Liberty International Airport and Central Park reporting 1.9 and 1.8 inches, respectively.
The rain had been predicted to fall over a period of eight hours. Instead, much of it arrived in an intense, 20-minute downpour that began at about 3:50 p.m., said Aries Dela Cruz, a spokesman for the city’s Emergency Management agency.
The deluge fell in the midst of a drought, which had left piles of fallen leaves and trash on the streets and sidewalks. The rain swept the detritus toward sewer drains, many of which became clogged.
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