NYC flooding – live: Damage assessed after state of emergency declared
Latest developments as New York City recovers from flash floods after historic rainfall sparked state of emergency
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New York has “officially transitioned into the recovery phase” after Gov. Kathy Hochul declared a state of emergency following historic rainfall and flash flooding, officials said over the weekend.
The governor’s declaration came as torrential rain pummelled the northeastern US, her pleas for residents to stay home echoed by New York City Mayor Eric Adams, who’d also asked New Yorkers to shelter in place.
Most people heeded the call, the governor said Saturday – though at least 28 rescues were conducted by New York emergency services, she said.
Brooklyn was particularly hard hit by rising water with shocking videos showing streets and subways underwater, and one hospital forced to evacuate more than 150 patients after electrical damage forced its temporary closure. Widespread outages and delays were reported on the MTA, the agency that runs the city’s transit system, before it returned to full weekend service on Saturday.
Historic rainfall levels were recorded at locations from LaGuardia Airport to Central Park, where a sea lion named Sally gained viral video fame “after briefly exploring the flooded plaza inside the zoo,” officials said.
WATCH: Flash flooding causes chaos in New York City
Mayor Adams under fire for rain response
Mayor Eric Adams urged New Yorkers to stay home or “shelter in place” if they had already gone out to work or school. He warned that the city could see eight inches of rain before the storm passes.
Once again, the mayor came under fire after he did not speak publicly to New Yorkers until late Friday morning when conditions were already dire. Mr Adams had been criticized in June for his handling of New York’s air quality threat from Canada’s wildfires.
Read the full story
New York City declares state of emergency
‘Our climate is changing faster than our infrastructure can respond,’ says Rohit Aggarwala from New York’s Department of Environmental Protection
Flight misery at New York airports
As of Friday afternoon, 283 flights were cancelled at LaGuardia Airport and 377 were delayed, according to FlightAware.
The situation is even worse at JFK, where 203 flights were cancelled and 416 flights were delayed.
New York requires flood disclosures in home sales as natural disasters worsen in the state
Ahead of today’s flooding, Gov Kathy Hochul last week signed a bill requiring people selling their homes to disclose whether their properties have been flooded or are at risk for future flooding.
The new law comes as inland areas in the state have become more vulnerable to flooding, with climate change spurring on rising sea levels and more intense storms like the one impacting the city on Friday
The signing will make New York at least the 30th state in the country to require flood disclosures during home sales. New York has a similar law in place for rental properties.
The Independent’s Louise Boyle has the full story.
New York is latest state to require flood disclosures in home sales as storms worsen
The law closes a loophole in state law allowing home sellers to pay a $500 fee to avoid disclosing their home’s flood risk
WATCH: Transportation disrupted in NYC due to the downpour
Photos of the floods
The Independent captured shocking photos of the floods that are keeping locals indoors and submerging vehicles.
29 September is poised to be the wettest day on record at JFK
Three to six inches of rain had fallen by Friday morning with several more on the way in the next 24 hours, according to the National Weather Service (NWS). Some forecasters warned the flooding has the potential to be “historic”.
“Today is now preliminarily the wettest September day on record at JFK Airport, eclipsing the record from Hurricane Donna in 1960,” NWS tweeted, noting that 6.08inches of rain had fallen since midnight. The previous record was 5.83 inches.
Read more
New York City declares state of emergency
‘Our climate is changing faster than our infrastructure can respond,’ says Rohit Aggarwala from New York’s Department of Environmental Protection
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