SLIDESHOW – New York: flooding due to heavy rains, state of emergency declared

Heavy rain fell on New York City and its surrounding areas on Friday, September 29, causing major flooding. On social networks, numerous videos and photos reveal cars stuck in water and disoriented pedestrians. The New York subway was forced to interrupt its service due to heavy rain.

Nassau, Queens and Kings Counties would be most affected. This Friday, the authorities declared a state of emergency to organize relief. The Governor of New York State, Kathy Hochul, declared a “state of emergency” for New York, Long Island to the east of the megacity, and in the Hudson Valley, due to “extreme precipitation we are seeing“, she announced on X (formerly Twitter).

According to the National Weather Service, these rains would be a remnant of tropical storm Ophelia which affected the states of North Carolina and Virginia last weekend.

The first to suffer this Friday morning were those who were going to work or school by public transport. The equivalent of a month’s rain fell in three hours. At least six metro lines were interrupted and several roads and expressways were closed because they were completely flooded.

New Yorkers received a flood alert around 8:30 a.m. on their phones. They were ordered to check the weather alerts regularly, take refuge on the upper floors and do not try to brave the water, whether on foot or in a vehicle. At this stage, authorities fear that residents of basement apartments were trapped by flooding, as in 2021, with Hurricane Ida which caused around forty victims in the region.

“Thirty inches of water is enough to sweep away a small car and 18 inches to sweep away a larger vehicle. Turn around, don’t drown!” warns the National Weather Service on X (formerly Twitter).