One braced the rising floodwaters in his Brooklyn apartment apparently to save his beloved dogs.

The other was trapped in the boiler room of the Washington Heights apartment building where he worked.

Both men died Thursday as a violent downpour pummeled the city, swamping the five boroughs under nearly two inches of rain within 20 minutes , officials said.

“I don’t understand how he didn’t make it out of there,” Michael Caban said about his friend Aaron Akaberi, who died with one of his pets as rainwater filled his basement apartment on Kingston Ave. and Rutland Road in Prospect Lefferts Gardens Thursday afternoon.

The flood waters filled Akaberi’s basement apartment. Leaves meant for the sewers were found stuck to the ceiling on Friday.

“(He) was a very athletic and fast person.

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