New York:
Heavy rains in the northeastern United States flooded parts of New York on Friday, partially paralyzing subways and airports in America’s financial capital.
LaGuardia Airport closed one of its terminals, with images on social media showing passengers walking through water well above their shoes.
Mayor Eric Adams urged people not to go out as streets were blocked and subway stations were flooded.
“If you are at home, stay home. If you are at work or school, make sure there is shelter for the time being. Some of our subways are flooded and it is extremely difficult to get around the city “, he said.
Images from across New York showed cars half-submerged and traffic snarled, while some major roads were completely blocked.
Shopkeepers in flooded stores tried to protect their merchandise and push the water back into the streets.
New York’s vast subway system was also affected, with several lines in Brooklyn closed.
Taxi driver Ahmed Abdou, 50, originally from Egypt, slammed officials for grappling with what he said was a regular occurrence.
“The metro in the city is terrible,” he said. ‘All storms come at the same time every year. We have to anticipate it better.’
But Rohit Aggarwala Overall, the city’s Environmental Protection Commissioner, said global warming had progressed faster than the city could act.
“This changing weather pattern is a result of climate change. And the sad reality is that our climate is changing faster than our infrastructure can respond,” Overall said.
– State of emergency –
New York Governor Kathy Hochul declared an official state of emergency for the city of 8.5 million and its densely populated suburbs, including Long Island to the east and the Hudson River Valley to the north.
The National Weather Service warned late Friday of flooding with as much as 5.1 inches of rain per hour.
It said total accumulation could reach seven inches (18 centimeters) on Friday, warning of flash flooding in urban and poor drainage areas.
At Grand Central Terminal, in the heart of Manhattan, Sue Evangelista, a 63-year-old retiree, waited five hours for a train that would take her and her husband to Connecticut.
But the train was cancelled, leaving them and thousands of others living on the city’s outskirts stranded.
“I think once they start calling the trains, it’s going to be a mad rush, because now people are going to be out of work, and it’s going to get busier and busier,” she said.
The rain came from a low-pressure system along the Mid-Atlantic coast, which draws moist air from the ocean.
In September 2021, Hurricane Ida caused major flooding in the region, especially in Brooklyn and Queens, killing thirteen people, many of whom were trapped in basement apartments.
Both boroughs were hit by some of the worst flooding on Friday and residents were warned to take special caution.
“If you live in these parts of the city, in a basement or flood-prone area, make sure you have plans and are prepared to move to higher ground,” urged New York City Emergency Management Commissioner Zach Iscol.
In the metro – one of the largest systems in the world with 420 stations and more than 30 lines – water flowed down the stairs and through the ceilings of some stations.
The subway is essential to the lives of millions of city residents, but a number of lines, including in Brooklyn, have been shut down due to the flooding.
Hochul said it was crucial to get the subway back up and running because many children depend on it to get to and from school – angering parents who wondered why schools were even open on Friday, and many children who to their classrooms amid the downpour that now lingers there.
“This morning’s events have made it abundantly clear that New York City and the state must improve their processes for communicating with New Yorkers about sudden and extreme weather before it happens,” Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso said in a statement.
“The climate catastrophe is here and we must act accordingly.”
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)