Severe weather and flooding have battered parts of the United States, with intense storms dumping massive amounts of rain and leaving communities across the Northeast underwater. New Jersey was hit especially hard, as the downpours submerged neighborhoods and turned streets into waterways, while the storms also delayed travel across parts of the country.
One of the most dramatic scenes unfolded in Monmouth County, where officials are now investigating a video that captured a frightening moment during the deluge. The footage shows the roof of a BJ's Wholesale Club collapsing, with the relentless downpours causing the structure to cave in as water accumulated on top of the building.
The collapse briefly trapped two people inside, according to the account of the incident. Those who were nearby described the ordeal in stark terms, with one witness recalling how terrifying the experience had been. The person noted that being just within about 20 feet of the collapse had made the difference, saying they might not have been standing there otherwise.
The sheer volume of rain helped explain the scale of the damage. More than half a foot of rain fell in some areas, overwhelming drainage and submerging entire neighborhoods in a matter of hours. The force of the storms was felt in other ways too, with poles reported snapped in half amid the wind and water.
The flooding stretched beyond New Jersey. In upstate New York, a woman needed to be rescued after floodwaters overtook her home, one of the emergency situations that unfolded as the storm system moved through the region and pushed rivers and drainage systems past their limits.
Despite the destruction, the storms also brought a measure of relief. The wet weather helped break a historic heat wave that had gripped the region, an extreme spell of heat that had claimed the lives of at least 29 people in New Jersey and three in New York City before conditions finally began to shift.
For now, the focus is on assessing the damage and the danger left behind. Officials in Monmouth County are reviewing the video of the roof collapse as part of their inquiry, while communities across the Northeast begin to take stock of flooded homes and businesses in the aftermath of a storm system that turned deadly heat into destructive rain.