Some residents in Cranston, Rhode Island, had to be rescued by boat from a flooded apartment building on Tuesday, after the nearby Pocasset River overflowed, according to WJAR-TV.
It took fire rescue crews over 15 hours to get residents from Riverview Terrace Apartments on Fordson Avenue to dry land, reported WJAR-TV.
"It's very cold in the apartments. Very cold, no light, no heat, nothing," Pat Patel, who was trapped in her second-floor apartment and one of the dozens rescued, told WJAR-TV. "We saw the flooding. Everyone was telling us to get out of here."
The rescue started at about 10:30 p.m. Monday and ended roughly at 3 p.m. the next day.
The Riverview Terrace Apartments residents were taken to the Cranston Senior Center, where the Red Cross was to assist.
Rhode Island Gov. Dan McKee issued an official disaster declaration Wednesday afternoon, which should clear the way for communities and residents to receive disaster assistance.
"Cities and towns across Rhode Island continue to feel the impact of the storm our state experienced earlier this week. On the day of the storm, I spoke with local leaders and saw firsthand the significant damage caused to communities, homes and businesses. Our team is committed to using any available resource to assist Rhode Island’s recovery efforts,” McKee said in a statement.
