Friday, July 9th, 2021
Tropical storm “Elsa” sets course
Heavy rain floods New York
–
Sunk hip-deep, passers-by make their way through the masses of water, entire subway shafts are flooded: Heavy rain and thunderstorms create chaotic scenes in New York. There is no improvement in sight in the next few days, because Hurricane “Elsa” is just around the corner.
Before the expected arrival of the tropical storm “Elsa” in New York, several subway stations in the metropolis were flooded by heavy rain. Metro users published video recordings on Thursday showing the floods. At 157th Street station in north Manhattan, the water was up to the waist for some passengers. The National Weather Agency warned of further heavy rains and floods.
Lines 1 and A of the metro are badly affected by the floods, said the head of the New York transport company, Sarah Feinberg, at a press conference on Thursday evening. The heavy rain accompanied by heavy thunderstorms also led to road closures in several parts of the city. Main traffic arteries also had to be cut off from the rest of the transport network, especially in the Bronx district. Many motorists got stranded while driving, as can be seen in the pictures the New York police published on Twitter.
The tropical storm “Elsa”, which was upgraded to a hurricane, already wreaked havoc in the Caribbean. Several people were killed in the Dominican Republic and on the island of St. Lucia. With heavy rain and wind speeds of more than 100 km / h, the tropical storm last swept over the coast of the US state Florida.
Surrounded by water, New York is considered extremely vulnerable to flooding. After the devastating Hurricane Sandy, in which 44 people were killed in New York in October 2012, the authorities had taken measures to better protect the city from extreme weather. However, in the face of the recent flooding, numerous local politicians have called for further investment in infrastructure, including Brooklyn mayor Eric Adams, who is also considered the favorite of New York’s mayoral election in November.
– .
