Snappy newsletters. Simple Facebook sharing. Spirited comments. Sweet features are waiting… GET THEM NOW!

8 Inches of Rain Swamp NYC

Workers narrowly escape death in flooding basement elevator

By Mary Papenfuss, Newser Staff

Posted Aug 15, 2011 2:02 AM CDT

(Newser) – Two workers were saved from drowning in an elevator, cars were up to their windows in water, and subway service shut down in New York City yesterday, all because of a rainfall that shattered a 116-year record. An astonishing 7.7 inches of rain pelted the city in a single day. The normal rainfall for the entirety of August in New York is 4 inches. The tensest moments of the storm occurred for two construction workers moving material in a flooded building in Staten Island. When the elevator hit the basement, "water started rushing in," and the doors wouldn't open, one worker told the New York Daily News. "We thought we were dead."

As water quickly reached their waists, they held a cell phone through a hatch in the ceiling to get a strong enough signal to call for help. As one responding firefighter shut down power, others managed to free the men. "They were happy to see us," said one rescuer.

Yankee Field is turned into a swamp as a game against the Tampa Bay Rays is rained out yesterday. (AP Photo/Bill Kostroun)

Marlenny Ovalles, 18, of New York, right, uses her costume to protect herself from the rain as she waits to dance in the Dominican Parade Sunday Aug. 14, 2011 in New York. (AP Photo/Tina Fineberg)

Heavy rain floods a street. (ROCwx)

Vehicles try to negotiate a flooded street in New York City yesterday. (tornadovideostock)

« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow

CLICK BELOW TO VOTE

16%

64%

To report an error on this story, notify our editors.

More Newser Stories

First Gay Couples Wed in New York

Couples begin celebrating at 12:01am

(NEWSER) - At 12:01am this morning, gay rights activists Kitty Lambert and Cheryle Rudd became one of the first—perhaps the very first—same-sex couples to wed in New York. The longtime partners, who have 12 grandchildren between them, were pronounced legally married by the mayor just after the clock chimed midnight in Niagara Falls. Fittingly, the New York Times notes, it was exactly a dozen years after their first date. Other couples across the state also started marrying the very minute they could, as gay marriage became legal in New York today. More»

National Weather Service: 'Do Not Take Threat Lightly'

29 states remain under heat advisories

(NEWSER) - Twenty-nine states are under advisories as a blistering heat wave continues, MSNBC reports. East Coast temps are projected to hit highs in the 90s and 100s, says a meteorologist, but the heat index—what it feels like—could be closer to 115 degrees through tomorrow, says the National Weather Service. “In this heat, it's not just about discomfort,” an expert said. It’s about “survival.” More»

NYC to Hold Lottery for 1st Day of Gay Weddings

At least 760 couples will be married this Sunday

(AP) - New York City will hold a lottery for couples who want to get married Sunday—the first day same-sex marriage will be legal in the state. Mayor Bloomberg said more than 760 couples will be selected to get married that day in the city clerk's five borough offices. Couples can register for the lottery online or by phone, and winners will be notified by noon Friday. The city is doing so to make sure people don't wait in line hours, only to be turned away. More»

Germans Close to Buying NY Stock Exchange

Cradle of US capitalism about to fall to Deutsche Börse

(NEWSER) - The raucous cathedral of American capitalism, the New York Stock Exchange, is about to be bought by the Germans. If regulators approve the deal, the acquisition of NYSE Euronext (which owns the NYSE) by Deutsche Börse AG (which owns the Frankfurt stock exchange) would create the world's largest financial exchange. The move is bound to face intense scrutiny from regulators in Europe, where the new operation would dominate trade, and in Washington, where acquisition by a foreign company will pique nationalist sentiment, reports the Wall Street Journal . More»

Newborn Dies in New York Blizzard

City 'dropped the ball ... big-time'

(NEWSER) - A newborn baby was one tragic victim of Sunday's East Coast blizzard . The mother, a 22-year-old college senior whose family didn’t know she was pregnant, was making her way to a hospital when she stopped in a building lobby in Brooklyn, unable to walk any farther. Help didn’t arrive until nine hours after the first 911 call was made, in part because the call didn’t at first seem urgent, and in part because the streets weren’t plowed, says the student’s mother: “No one could get to her.” More»

NEWS FROM OUR PARTNERS

What is Newser?

Face it: there's too much news. At Newser, we choose the most thought-provoking and entertaining stories from hundreds of US and international sources and reduce them to a headline, picture, and two paragraphs. And we do it 24/7—you can come back morning, noon, night (and in between) for something new that matters. Read less, know more.

Learn more »

Partnering with: Slate

View Newser on the mobile website

8 Inches of Rain Swamp NYC

Workers narrowly escape death in flooding basement elevator

OTHER STORIES ON OUR RADAR

weather • New York City • New York • rainwater • rain • record rainfall

MOST POPULAR STORIES

[ By Views ]

[ By Comments ]

More Newser Stories

First Gay Couples Wed in New York

Couples begin celebrating at 12:01am

National Weather Service: 'Do Not Take Threat Lightly'

29 states remain under heat advisories

NYC to Hold Lottery for 1st Day of Gay Weddings

At least 760 couples will be married this Sunday

Germans Close to Buying NY Stock Exchange

Cradle of US capitalism about to fall to Deutsche Börse

Newborn Dies in New York Blizzard

City 'dropped the ball ... big-time'

About Us

Site

Community

Site Maps

Tools

More News

What is Newser?