East Coast Storms Lead to Power-Outages, Flooding

Severe storms throughout the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic have caused flooding and claimed five lives. The storms tore through the East Coast May 15 and are expected to continue throughout the week, with an increased flood risk as reservoirs fill and soil becomes heavily saturated. Winds reached up to 150 miles per hour and knocked down power lines and trees, claiming the lives of an 11-year-old girl in Newburgh, N.Y., and a man trapped in his vehicle in Danbury, Conn., among others, according to CNN.

In Frederick County, Md., 85 people were rescued from a stranded commuter double deck train the morning of May 16 after the train derailed due to the collapse of a drainage culvert. No passengers were injured, but there have been multiple reports of high flood waters across the state and coast.

In New York, Gov. Andrew Cuomo declared a state of emergency for four counties and send the New York National Guard to assist with rescue and recovery efforts, as reported by the New York Post. Baseball-sized hail has been reported in upstate New York, as well as high flood waters.

According to The Weather Channel, more rain is expected in the region during the next three days with the biggest threat for flooding from Virginia to southern New Jersey, with 4 to 8 in. possible.