New York engulfed in flooding as subway service buckles

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On Friday, certain areas in New York were submerged in water because of heavy rain that led to sudden flooding throughout the city on one of the most rainy days in a long time.

On Thursday night, a huge storm moved into the area, resulting in flood watches and warnings for the five boroughs and some areas of upstate New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut.

As the rush hour commute started on Friday morning, the rain didn't stop pouring. By late morning, Governor Kathy Hochul of New York declared a state of emergency as the highways were flooded, the subway system stopped running, and people had to walk through knee-high water on the streets.

Mayor Eric Adams advised the people of New York to remain indoors or take shelter wherever they could if they had already ventured outside for work or school. He cautioned that the city might experience rainfall of up to eight inches before the storm subsides.

The mayor is once again facing criticism as he failed to address the people of New York until Friday morning when the situation had already become severe. This is not the first time Mr Adams has been censured for his handling of a situation, as he was previously condemned in June for his management of the air quality issue caused by wildfires in Canada.

By Friday morning, the National Weather Service (NWS) reported that there had been rainfall of three to six inches, and there's a possibility of several more inches in the next 24 hours. Some professionals even noted that the flooding may reach a "historic" level.

According to a tweet from the NWS, JFK Airport has experienced the most rainfall in a September day on record today. The previous record was set during Hurricane Donna in 1960, but today's rainfall surpassed it, with 6.08 inches of rain falling since midnight. The previous record was 5.83 inches.

The New York underground network was greatly affected by flooding, with approximately half of the system suspended. As a result, many passengers experienced significant delays and inconvenience on Friday afternoon. Furthermore, commuter railways within the tri-state areas also struggled to operate as scheduled, with cancellations and delays being commonplace.

According to Janno Lieber, the leader of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, they had put 3,500 buses in service to assist individuals in need of transportation. However, even this service was not completely unaffected: on social media platforms, a video showed a bus in Brooklyn navigating through floodwaters in which its floor was covered.

Many roads and highways in the surrounding location were inundated with water, and Terminal A at LaGuardia was not operational until further notice. Numerous flights both at LaGuardia and the nearby JFK Airport suffered cancellations and delays due to this situation. The National Weather Service remarked that the continuous intense rainfall is creating an added burden on the rivers and streams, which may cause even more flooding.

The governor of New York, Kathy Hochul, has announced that a state of emergency has been declared for areas including New York City, Long Island, and the Hudson Valley. Hochul expressed concern about basement residences, citing a tragic loss of life during Hurricane Ida's landfall back in 2019.

Make a plan for your getaway. Do not delay until the water is already high before you evacuate. Avoid waiting until the moment is past, advised Ms Hochul at a news conference last Friday.

Massive amounts of water are observed near the Barclays Center located in Prospect Heights, Brooklyn due to flooding.

In certain areas, the rain was falling at a speed of one to 2.5 inches per hour. The head of New York’s Department of Environmental Protection, Rohit Aggarwala, stated that from 8am-9am, the Brooklyn Navy Yard got 2.58in of rain. The sewer system in the city, which is over a century old, was designed to cope with only 1.75in every hour.

Mr. Aggarwala stated that climate change is the cause of this outcome. Our infrastructure is not adapting quickly enough to keep up with the changes occurring in our climate. Due to the Earth becoming warmer, the atmosphere can hold more moisture. This increases the possibility of storms bringing about severe rainfall.

Pictures and films uploaded on social media indicated that certain areas of the city were swamped with water, including the localities of Park Slope and Prospect Heights in Brooklyn. New Yorkers were captured on camera navigating the knee-deep inundations.

People living in Mamaroneck, a New York City neighborhood in Westchester County, had to evacuate their homes due to flooding caused by a heavy rainfall.

A cautionary message was shared by Dr. Lucky Tran, a public health professional, advising individuals against swimming in the waters. The flooding in Brooklyn has affected the Gowanus Canal, a location classified as a superfund site, and is known to harbor harmful pathogens that pose a danger to human health. This reminder was shared through his tweet.

Certain regions that may encounter sudden flooding are the Lower East Side, East Village, Soho and Midtown of Manhattan; Crown Heights in Brooklyn; and Jackson Heights, Forest Hills and LaGuardia Airport located in Queens. Additionally, Coney Island and Rockaway Beach, both within Brooklyn, are also at risk of flash flooding.

In New Jersey, some areas such as Jersey City, Hoboken, Hackensack, Newark, and Elizabeth were also affected by flooding that occurred throughout the region. Governor Phil Murphy of the state decided to close state offices at around 3 pm, excluding essential personnel.