State of emergency in New York due to heavy rain
Due to incessant rains, some parts of the city are submerged in water. Streets were closed and the governor declared a state of emergency.
A man stands in knee-deep water in front of his apartment building in Brooklyn (September 29, 2023).
Photo: Ed Jones (AFP)
Exceptionally heavy rain has partially paralyzed the US East Coast metropolis of New York. Motorways and streets turned into lake-like landscapes, and the airport terminal was also flooded and closed. City officials on Friday called on people to stay home if possible — many subways were no longer running or had major delays. Gov. Kathy Hochul declared a state of emergency.
Between the urban canyons of Manhattan and Brooklyn and Queens, many streets and sidewalks formed deep puddles and were splashed with water. Videos show buses overflowing during the drive-thru and bridge underpasses in Central Park being impassable. According to the forecast, the rain will continue till at least Saturday night.
“Please stay at home”
Hochul called the extreme weather a “life-threatening event” and Mayor Eric Adams warned that the danger is not over yet. New Yorkers’ cellphones vibrated several times Friday due to automated emergency alerts from the National Weather Service. The streets looked dark even in the middle of the day due to thick cloud cover. The weather is coming from a stable low pressure system that originated from Tropical Storm Ophelia.
“Service on our network has been severely impacted due to heavy rainfall,” the MTA said in a statement. “Unless you must travel, please stay home.”
LaGuardia Airport, where mainly domestic flights arrive and depart, said Terminal A was closed “until further notice.” John F Kennedy Airport also said the rain would disrupt operations.
In a few hours that morning and mid-afternoon, parts of New York received more rain than usual in a month.
According to the New York Times, the September 8 million metropolis has had the heaviest rain in more than 140 years — since records began, only 1882 has seen more rain. Many New Yorkers recall the heavy rains that flooded the city two years ago as a result of Hurricane Ida. During that time, at least eleven people died as their basement apartments filled up.
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