Flash flooding in NYC on Thursday brought parts of the city to a standstill, and the internet quickly filled with videos showing the effects of the sudden, intense weather.
Social media shows the scale of flash flooding in NYC
Social media clips showed just how fast streets turned into rivers and infrastructure failed under the weight of the water.
One of the most shared videos came from Queens, where passengers on a Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) train were trapped in rising water near the Bayside station.
According to ABC 7 NY, over 100 people had to be rescued after waiting for more than two hours.
One woman described the moment they were told to evacuate:
“When they said we had to climb down all of a sudden I was having a panic attack.”
Nearby, another family was hit by a different type of damage. A retaining wall collapsed during the downpour, sending a rockslide into the backyard of Diedre and Kosti Agapakis.
Their security camera recorded the dramatic moment. “It was just pretty frightening,” Diedre said.
The rocks had come from the Port Washington rail branch, forcing inspections of the entire route.
Flooded roads, buses and underground chaos
In other parts of Queens, cars and trucks were left stranded on major roads like the Clearview Expressway.
Water seeped into buses in East Flatbush, forcing commuters to travel through ankle-deep water. Subway commuters had their own problems — videos from Park Slope showed water gushing from station walls.
For some, just getting home became a frustrating experience.
“Very frustrated. We were at the subway station waiting for almost an hour under heat,” commuter Leslie Batista said.
The delays were made worse by a separate signal power outage due to heat, which affected the D train line and left riders waiting with little information.
In nearby New Jersey, the effects of the storm were also visible. Footage from Elizabeth showed a flooded street outside a restaurant where water had risen so high it covered an entire intersection.
In South Orange, a lightning strike shattered a tree and sent wooden debris flying up to 150 feet away, even landing on rooftops.
Demetrius Crichlow, President of NYC Transit Authority, admitted that the system struggled under the extreme weather.
“Extreme cold, extreme heat are always a challenge for our system. And this was not it,” he said, referring to the poor service.
Governor Kathy Hochul echoed that concern, saying the state must modernise its transport infrastructure to deal with climate change.
She called for an immediate review of this week’s failures and promised long-term investment.