What to Know
- Video captured a bus on Staten Island driving through ponded water on a street dealing with flash floods, leaving the riders scrambling
- A rider posted video of the incident, saying she was aboard the S40 bus on Richmond Terrace at Union Avenue around 4:20 p.m when it happened
- Dingy brown water was seeping in from the doors, reaching about an inch above the floor of the bus
Video captured a bus on Staten Island driving through ponded water on a street dealing with flash floods, leaving the riders scrambling to avoid getting wet.
The video was posted to Twitter by Lacy Shelby, who said that she was aboard the S40 bus on Richmond Terrace at Union Avenue around 4:20 p.m. Wednesday when they came across the flood waters.
The bus proceeded to plow right through the ponded water, which was appeared to be going halfway up car tires seen outside the bus. Meanwhile, dingy brown water was seeping in from the doors, reaching about an inch above the floor of the bus. Riders were forced to either seek higher ground — either stepping toward the back seats which are elevated, or standing on seats — or deal with the water pooling around their shoes.
The flooding was a result of the intense storms that swept through the area in the early evening, bringing heavy bouts of rain and tremendous displays of dangerous lightning throughout the tri-state.
Shelby said on Twitter that the flooding was concentrated to a four-block stretch along Richmond Terrace. There were other areas experiencing flooding, but this particular stretch was among the worst. There were also reports of street flooding in the Bulls Head section of Staten Island, with water reaching car floorboards.
When asked about the incident, the MTA called it a “graphic example of the challenges our bus operators face on the road day in and day out as they work hard to get millions of New Yorkers to their destinations safely and expeditiously.”
Local
No injuries were reported, and the bus did finish its route, according to an MTA spokesman. The agency said it was looking into the incident, making sure all safety protocols were followed.
