Severe Flooding in New York City: State of Emergency Declared

A man tries to drain a manhole cover, this Friday in Brooklyn (New York).Jake Offenhartz (AP)

Rains of unusual intensity have flooded basements, streets and numerous subway stations in New York this Friday, as well as the facilities of a hundred schools, although those responsible for the centers recommended that students remain indoors, given that it was outside. The risk was even greater due to the fall of trees on the sidewalks and road, according to several local media. The intensity of the rainfall, which has caused the declaration of a state of emergency in the city, Long Island and the Hudson Valley, has been described as “threatening” – that is, potentially fatal – to the safety of people. The Big Apple was almost collapsed this afternoon, as part of the subway route, the main artery of the city, was flooded. The alert reaches more than 8.5 million people, the estimated population of the suburbs, as well as neighboring states, especially New Jersey.

After the declaration of a state of emergency by the governor of the state of New York, Democrat Kathy Hochul, their deadlines have been extended as the hours have passed. The alerts sent by the authorities to the mobile telephone network have been progressively expanded, since the torrential rains are expected to continue throughout the day, at least until the early hours of Saturday. According to the governor’s announcement, “all state agencies will provide the necessary resources to address this extreme weather event,” unprecedented in the city since Hurricane Ida, which devastated the east coast of the United States at the end of August 2021.

In a press conference after Hochul’s announcement, the city’s mayor, also a Democrat, Eric Adams, warned that some areas of the city “could see a rise of up to 20 centimeters in the water level before the end of this period.” day”. The alert asks citizens to avoid any non-essential travel, and to take refuge in high areas, evacuating if necessary basements susceptible to flooding. In September 2021, Ida’s tails hit the basement houses (basements of buildings used as homes despite not having a certificate of occupancy, common in the most popular neighborhoods) and left fifteen people dead. Along with neighboring states, the death toll from the ravages of Ida was almost fifty along the entire east coast.

In numerous subway stations in Brooklyn County, water entered lobbies and platforms with the force of a torrent. By 3 p.m. local time, five lines had been suspended and the rest were experiencing considerable delays. Surface circulation has also been affected, with the closure of three major arteries (two in Brooklyn and one in Manhattan). The Metropolitan Transportation Service (MTA) has announced cuts to all service due to flooding, while the recently remodeled LaGuardia International Airport has closed one of its terminals due to adverse weather conditions, while JFK suffered disruptions in departures and arrivals. Hochul has insisted that the mayor’s reference to the rise in water levels “may seem like a few centimeters, but it is enough to sweep away vehicles or trigger other floods that could cost people their lives,” in reference to waterspouts. that flooded in minutes many basement-dwellings at the Ida pass.

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2023-09-29 18:57:36
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