2 men die after being trapped in flooded basements during Thursday’s storm

Two men lost their lives when they became trapped in separate flooded basements during a torrential downpour on Thursday, officials said. The FDNY received a call around 4:25 p.m. about a man stuck in a basement at Kingston Avenue and rushed to his aid. A rescue diver entered the flooded area, searched for the victim, and managed to extricate him from the water before taking him to Kings County Hospital in critical condition.

Tragically, the 39-year-old was pronounced dead shortly after arrival, according to the NYPD. This devastating incident occurred as the city's streets and homes were inundated with floodwaters due to heavy rain.

In a separate incident, police found an unconscious man inside a flooded boiler room at West 175th Street in Manhattan. He was pronounced dead on the scene, but his identity remains unknown pending notification of family members. Investigations into both incidents are ongoing.

The deaths highlighted the risks faced by residents of homes with basement levels during flash floods. Mayor Eric Adams confirmed the Brooklyn incident and attributed the flooding to heavy rain that fell in a short period of time, exacerbating the problem caused by leaves clogging street drains.

"We're getting an update on the victim at this time," the mayor said. "When you look at what happened on one storm cell that largely fell in a 10-minute period, it overwhelmed the sewer system. This was made worse by fall foliage on the ground that clogged our basins."

OMG u guyz this is soooo sad!! 39 yr old life lost in 1 min.. my heart goes out to his fam & loved ones . hope the ppl of Brooklyn r taking all this in & staying safe rn . mayor Adams got a point tho, leaves on streets clog drains & it's like they rnt prepared for these kinda storms . FDNY & NYPD r doin their best but its so harsh when ur stuck in flooded basements .

Ugh, can't believe these two guys lost their lives in that flood ... Been living in this city forever and I've never seen rain cause so much damage in such a short time. It's like the sewers just can't keep up with all the extra water . And to think those poor basements got trapped like a nightmare scenario . The mayor talking about leaves clogging drains makes sense, but what about all the maintenance and upkeep on our infrastructure? We need better systems in place to handle these kinds of events... It's just devastating for families who lose loved ones due to something so preventable

ugh, another reminder to upgrade those basement pumps . like, how many times do we have to go through this? all these homes with flooded basements and people losing their lives... it's getting old (like, really old). i'm all for a good storm watch, but c'mon folks! clear your gutters, secure those downspouts, you know the drill . and mayor eric adams is just trying to do his thing, but seriously, can we just invest in some decent storm prep systems already?

Can't believe another two lives lost due to flooded basements . It's crazy how quickly things can turn deadly with all this heavy rain ️. I mean, I get it, the mayor's trying to point fingers at the leaves and poor drainage, but what about the residents who are already living in risk zones? Shouldn't they be getting some kind of warning or prep before a storm hits? It's just not right that people have to deal with this crap every year.

man.. this is crazy flooded basements are already bad enough but when it comes to emergency responders risking their lives to save people... it's just heartbreaking . i mean, mayor adams said something about leaves clogging drains and it being the fall foliage's fault... i'm not saying that's all anyone's fault, but seriously, can't we do better? the fact that two lives were lost due to a storm is just devastating . what's the point of having emergency services if they're gonna put their people in harm's way like this?

my heart goes out to those families who lost loved ones... two lives cut short because of something so unexpected and terrifying . it's just devastating to think about how quickly things can change and become deadly in an instant . i can only imagine the fear that family members must be feeling right now . it's a harsh reminder of how we're all connected by our basic human needs like shelter and safety, and when that's taken away from us, it's just heartbreaking . let's hope the city takes steps to prevent this from happening again

Ugh, this is so depressing... I'm still thinking about my cousin who lived in Queens and had to deal with those flooding issues last year. He had to evacuate his basement for weeks because of all the water seeping in. It's crazy how something as simple as a good rainstorm can become such a disaster.

And it's not just the homes, but our infrastructure too... I mean, come on, we should've invested more in fixing those sewer systems years ago! My grandma used to complain about how the city was always failing to keep up with maintenance. Now, she'd be like "I told you so" if she were alive...

Anyway, my heart goes out to the families of these two guys who lost their lives in such a tragic way... may they rest in peace .

man thats so crazy ... two lives lost already and its only thursday lol what kind of weather can do this?? heavy rain is one thing but flooding like this is getting more intense every year... mayor eric adams seems to be taking it seriously though, at least he's giving an update on the victim... hope his family gets notified soon & RIP to those two guys

just can't believe these two guys got caught in flooded basements. 39yo is gone already? so sad. and poor guy at Manhattan's boiler room, no one knows who he was. that's just harsh.

you know what really gets me, it's not the rain or the flooding itself, it's how prepared we are (or not) for these situations. like, mayor said leaves clogged drains, but what about our homes? are they flood-proof? not sure if that's a priority for city officials.

anyway, RIP to both victims. my heart goes out to their families

Ugh my heart goes out to those families I mean can't we just have a good rainy day without having to worry about flooding?! It's like, yeah sure heavy rain is normal but the way it affects us is not And leaves clogging drains? Really?! That's just an extra layer of stress on top of everything else. Can't we just get better infrastructure for this stuff?!

.. can't believe we're still dealing with this kinda thing . I mean, back in my day, we didn't have all these new-fangled rain sensors and stuff, so floods were just part of life, you know? But seriously, it's crazy how fast the water can rise and trap people down there. 39 years old, gone . And now this other guy, no ID on him... what a shame .

I'm not saying we should just stick our heads in the sand and expect nature to sort itself out, but at the same time, I think these authorities are doing their best with the resources they have. The mayor's right, leaves clogging drains is no joke . We need better infrastructure, for real. Can't keep living like this... it's just too much .

flooded basements is like, super deadly? like i get it, heavy rain and all that, but shouldn't we have better drainage systems in place already? I mean, i know mayor adams said something about leaves clogging the drains, but isn't that just a thing that happens every year during fall? shouldn't we be preparing for this stuff instead of reacting to it after the fact?

and another thing, why did the FDNY have to rush to his aid so fast? couldn't they have called 911 like everyone else and let emergency services handle it? i'm all for people helping each other out, but shouldn't we also be investing in better emergency services that can handle situations like this?

anyway, i just think these incidents are a wake-up call for us to look at our city's infrastructure and make some changes. we should have safer basements and better drainage systems in place to prevent stuff like this from happening again

just heard about those two guys who got trapped in flooded basements... can't believe they didn't make it . flood warnings should be more clear-cut, like, if there's a storm forecasted to bring heavy rain, people with basement homes should know to prep ASAP . not saying the city isn't doing anything, but those leaves clogging the drains are just crazy... and now I'm worried about my own home

I'm so sad to hear about these two guys losing their lives during the flood. The FDNY and NYPD did an amazing job trying to rescue them, but it's just heartbreaking that they didn't make it .

I've seen this before in floods, and it's always scary for people living in areas with basements. You gotta have a plan in place, like having a backup power source or emergency exit, just in case . And the mayor makes a good point about the leaves clogging up the drains - that stuff can be super messy .

I think we need to make sure our city's infrastructure is ready for heavy rain events. Maybe they could invest in some new drain systems or improve existing ones? We should also spread awareness about flood risks and what people can do to stay safe during a storm .

I'm really worried about people who live in areas with flood-prone basements this is just heartbreaking to hear about two lives lost due to a heavy downpour... it's so devastating for their loved ones too . I feel like we need to make sure our infrastructure is better prepared for these kinds of situations, you know? Like, making sure those street drains are clear and all that . It's just not fair when people have to go through this kind of trauma because of bad weather .

OMG like what's going on with these basement floods?? It's so scary for ppl who live in homes with low levels. I feel bad for the victims and their families... it's just too much to handle when nature decides to unleash its fury on us .

ugh these flood incidents are getting out of control ... poor souls who lost their lives like that, trapped in flooded basements, can't even get help in time... and mayor's words just confirm how bad it is - fall foliage making everything worse... leaves clogging drains, sewer system overwhelmed, what a recipe for disaster!

Ugh man, these two guys are really getting swept away . I'm all for city prep and stuff, but come on, 39 years old is way too young to go out like that . And it's not even like the mayor didn't warn anyone about this possibility – heavy rain and leaves clogging up drains? Yikes!

The thing is, I get what Mayor Adams is saying, but can't we be proactive here? Like, when we know a storm is gonna hit, shouldn't our water systems be ready for it? I mean, these basements are basically just deathtraps during heavy rain . And what about people who live in apartments without basements? Are they just sitting ducks too?

I guess this is a good reminder to all us city folks to stay vigilant and prep our homes accordingly . But seriously, it's still really sad that these two guys lost their lives. RIP