New York City, Sep 30 – New York City was hit by severe rainfall on Friday, leading to widespread disruptions. Subways and airports faced significant issues, while roads turned into waterways.
The record-breaking downpour caused parts of Brooklyn to receive almost 7 inches (18 centimeters) of rain, and JFK Airport saw nearly 8 inches, breaking records set in 1960 by Hurricane Donna.
A flash flood warning was issued for the city, and social media images showed partially submerged cars and congested traffic on several key roads flooded by the downpour.
Governor Kathy Hochul of the State of New York and Mayor Eric Adams of New York City declared states of emergency and urged people to stay indoors if possible. Brooklyn and Queens, in particular, were hard-hit by major flooding.
Emergency services advised people in basement apartments or flood-prone areas to prepare to move to higher ground, recalling the widespread flooding caused by Hurricane Ida in September 2021, which trapped several people in basement apartments and resulted in 13 deaths.
While no deaths have been reported from this storm, the city remains on high alert. Some residents expressed frustration, saying they received no warning about the flooding from officials and that neighborhood meetings with city officials to address flooding issues had yielded no results.
The city’s recently implemented floodgates, designed to close automatically in the event of street flooding, were not functioning, blocking traffic on many roads.
Climate experts attribute the increase in extreme weather patterns to climate change, as the warming Earth’s atmosphere retains more moisture, leading to more frequent heavy rainfall.
Rohit Aggarwala, the city’s Environmental Protection Commissioner, stated, “This changing weather pattern is the result of climate change, and the sad reality is our climate is changing faster than our infrastructure can respond.”
