Early this morning, the streets of Inwood in Upper Manhattan found themselves submerged under water following a significant water main break at one of its busy intersections. The incident, which took place on Dyckman Street and Nagle Avenue, was first reported just after 11:30 p.m. on Wednesday night, as noted by ABC7 New York. According to the report, the deluge from a broken 20-inch main pipe created an unexpected waterway, leaving residents to wake up to find their streets fully flooded, inching under parked cars and impeding transit in adjacent roads.
The city’s Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) was prompted to respond, arriving at the scene to tackle the abrupt urban torrent, crews labored through the dawn to cease the flow of water and begin assessing the necessary repairs, a scene of urgency with the water cascading unchecked; as of yet, the exact source of the leak remains undetermined. Basements checked for potential water damage by emergency personnel, as multiple streets—including Academy Street, Nagle Avenue, and Post Avenue—face closures, residents in the area were advised of disruptions to their normal routines due to the infrastructural collapse, as per the same ABC7 New York coverage.
Chopper footage later revealed the magnitude of the flooding with water visibly gushing at the problematic junction located beneath the elevated 1 train station at Dyckman Street, generating considerable commotion as the intersection was brought to a halt. The disruption stretched its fingers into the bowels of the city too, as subway services on the C and B lines found themselves affected by the cascading events above ground. This report was confirmed by CBS New York, who provided aerial visuals of the incident's impact.
DEP Deputy Commissioner Beth DeFalco said crews are dealing with problems involving one of the valves and asked residents to be patient as they work through the challenges of isolating the break. She explained that shutting off the water is the top priority to stop flooding and to prevent further damage to nearby homes. Water service in the area is expected to be affected, with possible pressure drops or complete outages. However, the timeline for completing repairs is still unclear, leaving residents uncertain about when service will return to normal.
