Ophelia flooding videos show entire streets submerged as man kayaks around

Tropical Storm Ophelia left entire streets underwater after it made landfall on the East Coast with several residents sharing videos of the aftermath, including one where a man can be seen using a kayak to get around.

Ophelia unleashed 70 mph winds near Emerald Isle, North Carolina, bringing rain and significant flooding on Saturday, September 24.

The storm developed as a cyclone in the Atlantic Ocean earlier this week and was forecast to bring a month’s worth of rain to parts of the Eastern Seaboard, prompting governors in North Carolina and Maryland to declare a state of emergency

Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin also declared a State of Emergency on Friday ahead of the storm and said in a post shared on X, formerly Twitter, on the same day: “I encourage all Virginians and visitors to keep up with the latest forecast for their area from a trusted source, make a plan, and have their emergency kits ready.”

The storm weakened as it slowly moved north along the coast and winds slowed down to an estimated 35 mph.

Videos shared in the aftermath of Ophelia’s landfall showed streets fully submerged by flooding

One Storyful clip shared by AccuWeather on Saturday showed a man in Winterville, North Carolina, using a kayak to get across a flooded street.

The man, dressed in a rain jacket, could be seen leaving one side of a street in a red kayak and waving to the person recording the video. Since being shared on X, the video has been seen around 18,400 times.

Another video uploaded onto the same social media platform by Zeke Orzech showed the lower streets of Stone Harbor in New Jersey completely submerged by water.

As the camera panned across, the clip showed that the street and surrounding area was totally inundated.

Another clip uploaded to X showed parts of downtown Washington D.C. completely flooded.

It showed that the river had burst its banks and businesses having to deal with water levels that reached up to the door. The dramatic footage also pictured waves crashing against the base of residential properties.

The National Hurricane Center (NHC) said in a Sunday, September 24, X post: “Post-Tropical Cyclone Ophelia Advisory 12: Post-Tropical Ophelia continues to pose a risk of coastal flooding and locally heavy rain from Washington D.C. to New York City today.”

NHC officials also issued three key messages regarding the current situation surrounding the post-tropical cyclone.

It said: “Coastal flooding will continue along portions of the Chesapeake Bay and its tidal rivers through today. Refer to statements from your local National Weather Service Forecast Office for additional information.

“Heavy rainfall from Ophelia may produce localized flash- and urban flooding impacts across portions of the mid-Atlantic states from Virginia to New Jersey through today.

“Swells generated by Ophelia will affect much of the U.S. east coast through the remainder of the weekend, likely causing life-threatening surf and rip currents.”

Newsweek has contacted the NHC for comment via email.