Heavy rainfall and thunderstorms caused severe flooding and road closures across Queens the night of May 20, prompting relief efforts and renewed advocacy by area representatives.
The city was hit with about 2 inches of rain in an hour, according to several published news reports. The National Weather Service issued a flood advisory for Brooklyn, Staten Island and Manhattan as well as Queens, due to the boroughs’ low elevation and poor drainage, per an alert from Notify NYC.
The city’s sewer system is designed to handle just 1.5 to 1.75 inches of rain per hour.
“What used to feel like once-in-a-generation storms are becoming far too common, and our infrastructure has not kept pace,” City Councilmember Lynn Schulman (D-Forest Hills) said in a statement. “We cannot continue asking residents to simply brace for the next storm while flooding becomes a regular occurrence.”
Parts of Schulman’s district were among the areas that saw severe water buildup May 20. The social media account Bukharian Community posted video footage of flash flooding on Austin Street in Forest Hills.
“I don’t know what happened out here,” said the person who shot the video. “It seems like devastation, like we just went through some type of tornado. A blizzard in Queens is crazy right now.”
Schulman said also that businesses on Metropolitan Avenue saw flooding that “disrupted livelihoods and damaged storefronts.”
She commended City Hall’s investment to replace catch basins citywide — the work is set to start in Queens Community Districts 12, 13 and 14 this summer — and promised to push for resources in her district.
The office of Councilmember Linda Lee (D-Oakland Gardens) on Tuesday partnered with the city Sanitation Department, the Office of Emergency Management and other organizations to help provide relief, including food, to families in Hollis affected by flooding that she said engulfed vehicles and entered homes. Mayor Mamdani also visited the area May 21 to meet with impacted families.
At around 8 p.m. the night of the storm, the city sent out a text alert that all lanes of the Van Wyck Expressway were closed in both directions at Jewel Avenue. The NWS also reported blockages on several roadways, including on the Long Island Expressway at 188th Street in both directions.
The Q27 bus had to pause service just before 9 p.m. on Springfield Boulevard near Hollis Avenue in Queens Village, due to a manhole cover that popped up from the water pressure. A vehicle also was damaged at Springfield Boulevard and 110th Avenue.
Water also seeped in through the doors of the Q110 bus as it drove on Jamaica Avenue.
One user posted in the Glendale Civic Association Facebook group after 10 p.m. that the Cooper Avenue underpass, a low-lying stretch of roadway, was shut down due to flooding.
The storm had lasting impacts.More flooding was spotted last Thursday just before 9 a.m. in Rego Park, on southbound Woodhaven Boulevard next to St. John’s Cemetery, just north of the Cooper Avenue-Yellowstone Boulevard intersection.
Later that day, City Councilman Jim Gennaro (D-Fresh Meadows) posted on Facebook that his district office had flooded, and would be closed for in-person services for the foreseeable future.
Those whose property was damaged in the storm are encouraged to report it to reportdamage.nyc.gov. Affected parties also may request services by calling 311 or visiting nyc.gov/311.
Naeisha Rose contributed to this story.