A 108-year-old water main ruptured just after 1 p.m., Oct. 16, 2003, flooding a stretch of Washington Heights along Amsterdam Avenue. The break, which occurred at Amsterdam Ave. and 178th St., inundated two city blocks with water, flooding many cars and basements, and closing off a stretch of the Trans-Manhattan Expressway below.

Several area residents were evacuated and provided temporary shelter in a nearby school as water poured into building lobbies and basements, and a small stretch of businesses — including a furniture store and an animal hospital (all patients were safely rescued) — were affected.

OEM reported to the scene immediately and quickly set up an interagency command post at 180th and Amsterdam to coordinate various agencies' efforts.
In addition, OEM's Mobile Data Center was deployed to provide data and maps of local streets, underlying infrastructure and locations of area critical care facilities.

Fire Department crews — among the first City agencies on the scene — used a Zodiac rescue boat to conduct door-to-door checks of impacted buildings to ensure there was no one trapped in rising waters.

As rescue crews surveyed the flooded areas, the Department of Environmental Protection worked to shut down 13 valves supplying water to the area so repair work could begin. Con Edison shut off gas and electric to affected buildings to minimize any risk of electrocution, fire or explosion. Once waters receded sufficiently, pumps were used to remove water from local businesses and homes.

Meanwhile, NYPD officials provided traffic control and secured a safe perimeter around the area, and Port Authority engineers worked to assess the street condition of the Amsterdam Avenue overpass on the Trans-Manhattan Expressway to ensure the roadway had not been compromised.

Addressing local business concerns, the City's Department of Small Business Services (SBS) was on hand to take damage reports to file for relief funds. Affected business owners may contact Small Business Services by calling 311 to obtain information about the Business Emergency Grant program.

By early evening, most of the water on Amsterdam Avenue had receded, and full water pressure was restored to most of the community. Over the course of the following day, workers replaced the section of damaged pipe and poured asphalt to repair the street.