Two men are dead after being trapped in flooded basements during a violent storm on Thursday. The victims, both male, were found by emergency responders who rushed to the scenes at 564 Kingston Avenue and 701 West 175th Street in Manhattan.
The first victim, identified as a 39-year-old, was trapped in his basement before FDNY Rescue Company 2 diver made a daring rescue operation that pulled him from the water. Despite initial efforts to save him, he was pronounced dead at Kings County Hospital.
Meanwhile, a 43-year-old man was discovered unconscious and unresponsive inside a flooded boiler room on the lower level of a Manhattan building. Emergency responders struggled to reach him, but ultimately, he succumbed to his injuries at the scene.
The cause of death has not been officially confirmed, but investigators are working to determine the circumstances surrounding these two tragic incidents. Mayor Eric Adams acknowledged that multiple emergency calls were received during the storm, including reports of flooded basements, and assured residents that response teams worked tirelessly to reach those in need.
According to Adams, heavy rainfall over a short period exacerbated the flooding issue, overwhelming city sewer systems, which were also clogged by leaves on the ground. This phenomenon has been repeatedly warned about by city officials, who stress that basement homes can become deadly within minutes during flash floods.
As authorities continue their investigations, two families are now left to grieve and face questions over what might have saved their loved ones from a tragic fate.
The first victim, identified as a 39-year-old, was trapped in his basement before FDNY Rescue Company 2 diver made a daring rescue operation that pulled him from the water. Despite initial efforts to save him, he was pronounced dead at Kings County Hospital.
Meanwhile, a 43-year-old man was discovered unconscious and unresponsive inside a flooded boiler room on the lower level of a Manhattan building. Emergency responders struggled to reach him, but ultimately, he succumbed to his injuries at the scene.
The cause of death has not been officially confirmed, but investigators are working to determine the circumstances surrounding these two tragic incidents. Mayor Eric Adams acknowledged that multiple emergency calls were received during the storm, including reports of flooded basements, and assured residents that response teams worked tirelessly to reach those in need.
According to Adams, heavy rainfall over a short period exacerbated the flooding issue, overwhelming city sewer systems, which were also clogged by leaves on the ground. This phenomenon has been repeatedly warned about by city officials, who stress that basement homes can become deadly within minutes during flash floods.
As authorities continue their investigations, two families are now left to grieve and face questions over what might have saved their loved ones from a tragic fate.
I mean, how many times do we need to be reminded that our sewer systems are, like, totally not prepared for heavy rainfall? It's been said so many times before, and yet here we go again... 564 Kingston Avenue and 701 West 175th Street could've easily been prevented if we'd just taken care of those leaves on the ground. I'm not saying it's anyone's fault or anything (okay, maybe a little), but come on! We need to learn from these disasters before they happen again 
. This is what happens when we don't prioritize maintenance and infrastructure updates...
. I'm still shaking my head about those poor guys in the flooded basements. 39 or 43, it's all so senseless. You'd think we've learned by now that these storms can be deadly, but nope... seems like we're always playing catch-up. Mayor Adams is right though, our sewer systems are a mess and it's just common sense to clear the leaves from the streets before heavy rain hits. I mean, come on... you'd think we'd figure this out by now 
. Those rescue teams did their best, but unfortunately, it wasn't enough. My heart goes out to the families of those guys... RIP 
just when u thought the rain couldnt get any worse... basements flooded, people drownin, it's like somethin outta a movie 
but seriously, how many times do we gotta hear about basement floods in NYC before somethin changes? 
564 Kingston Ave and 701 West 175th St got the ultimate wake-up call – no more floodin' basements! 
now its all about makin' those basements waterproof, like a superhero cape for ur home 
it's like the storm just caught everyone off guard I mean we've been warned about heavy rainfall and sewer issues before but you never think it's gonna hit your own basement at home. The fact that it was a 39-year-old guy who got saved by FDNY Rescue Company 2 but still didn't make it is just so sad...and what about the other one? Wasn't there anything he could've done to escape? It's all about these poor families now left to pick up the pieces and deal with the aftermath. I feel bad for Mayor Adams too, gotta take a lot of flak from residents after an incident like this 
u guys its crazy how fast the floodin can get in nyc like they warn us about it but we dont take it seriouslly 
its sad to see these 2 ppl die like they couldve been saved if only somethin was done sooner 
the city needs to do more to warn residents and prepare for these types of situations 
. I mean, who needs an excuse for not checking their basement before a storm anyway? 
. Anyways, city officials have been talking about this for ages, so yeah, no one is surprised it happened now 
. Guess we'll just have to add " basement flood preparedness" to the list of things we should probably do before a storm hits 
. It's not rocket science, but it seems like some ppl don't take it seriously enough. And I know those city officials have been warning us about this stuff for ages, so...I don't know, maybe just a bit more proactive would've saved these two dudes?
. City officials have been warning about this for ages, so what were they doing down there in the first place? 
Either way, RIP to those two guys 
.