New York declares state of emergency amid flash flood warning - The Independent

New York declares state of emergency amid flash flood warning - live updates | The Independent

NYC flooding – live: Mayor urges ‘extreme caution’ with all five boroughs under state of emergency

Latest developments as New York City is hit by flash floods and state of emergency is declared

Oliver O'Connell,

Kelly Rissman,
Sheila Flynn Comments

New York Governor Kathy Hochul has declared a State of Emergency as flash flooding wreaks havoc across New York City caused by torrential rain pummelling the northeastern US. Mayor Eric Adams likewise asked New Yorkers to stay home or shelter in place.

Brooklyn is particularly hard hit by rising water with shocking videos showing streets and subways underwater. Widespread outages and delays were reported on the MTA, the agency that runs the city’s transit system.

A severe storm lodged over the city, and parts of upstate New York, New Jersey and Connecticut, leading to widespread flood watches and warnings.

The New York area could see an unprecedented amount of rain with between two and five inches having already fallen in some areas since midnight.

Emergency alerts were sent to cellphones in the city at 9.30am local time from the National Weather Service.

“A FLASH FLOOD WARNING is in effect for this area until 12:30pm EDT,” it read. “This is a dangerous and life-threatening situation. Do not attempt to travel unless you are fleeing an area subject to flooding or under an evacuation order.”

A travel advisory was issued by city authorities beginning at 4am on Friday through until 6am on Saturday with the potential for “widespread travel impacts”.
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NJ police video shows Friday water rescue of motorist

Footage of rushing waters – and subsequent rescues – continued to circulate on social media over the weekend after record-breaking rainfall sparked flooding on Friday through New York and other parts of the Northeast.

In one particularly poignant video from the Fairfield Police Department of Essex County, New Jersey, Corporal Steven D’Argenio can be seen freeing a motorist trapped in a car in a parking lot on Passaic Avenue.

“Please understand this flooding is serious,” the department wrote in a Friday Facebook,post, adding: “Do not drive into flooded waters or around barricades. If you find yourself trapped, stay calm and dial 911.”

More than two dozen rescues were made on Friday during heavy rainfall that flooded regions of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut, according to New York Gov. Kathy Hochul.

The governor held a press conference in New York City on Saturday following “historic” rainfall levels one day earlier.

“I want to thank all the first responders who did show up, including our Swift Water teams who made 28 rescues – 28 rescues in raging waters to help save New Yorkers in the Hudson Valley and on Long Island yesterday,” she said.
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Images capture workers’ tireless cleanup efforts

Pictures were emerging on Saturday of ongoing cleanup efforts amidst tireless work by city staff and residents to recover from Friday’s flooding.

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul repeatedly thanked workers, posting images on X, the platform formerly known as twitter, with an accompanying message.

“Union labor keeps New York running every day no matter the challenge!” the Democratic governor wrote. “ I’m especially grateful to the first responders and state and local government employees for getting us through this historic rainfall.”

Damage assessments were also continuing, with the governor saying Saturday that federal aid had not been ruled out. Record rainfall amounts Friday were observed at locations from JFK and LaGuardia Airports to Central Park, according to the National Weather Service.
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Zoos reopen following sea lion’s brief viral fame

Various New York zoo locations had safely reopened on Friday after one City resident – a sea lion – made headlines during Friday’s heavy rains and flooding.

A sea lion named Sally at the Central Park Zoo on Friday “was able to swim out of her pool due to flooding of the plaza caused by severe rains in New York City,” Jim Breheny, director of the Bronx Zoo and Executive Vice President of the Wildlife Conservation Society’s Zoos and Aquarium, said in a statement.

He posted on X that, after “briefly exploring the flooded plaza inside the zoo, sea lion Sally returned to the enclosure, the flood waters receded & all is well @centralparkzoo w/ our sea lions all safely content in their exhibit.”

A spokeswoman for the zoo on Saturday told The Independent that “three of our Wildlife Conservation Society zoos – Bronx Zoo, Central Park Zoo and Queens Zoo – and our NY Aquarium reopened today.”

Prospect Park Zoo remained closed Saturday, she added.
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NY Sanitation officials clearing debris from ‘catch basins across the City’

Cleanup efforts were continuing throughout Saturday in the New York region after “historic” rainfall one day earlier led to flash flooding and other challenges.

NYC Sanitation authorities on Saturday evening posted on X, the platform formerly known as twitter, that they were “clearing storm debris from catchbasins across the City.”

“Collection is ongoing, and storm-impacted residents may place material at the curb as needed,” NYC Sanitation posted, along with accompanying photos.

Various New York residents responded to the post, including New York State Assembly Member Khaleel M. Anderson, who represents Queens, who posted photo and video of “a few that need this support in my district.”
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Hospital electrical damage in Brooklyn prompts transfer of patients

Electrical damage caused by Friday flooding at Woodhull Hospital in Brooklyn forced the transfer and evacuation of patients and staff, authorities said Saturday.

“Yesterday, @NYCHealthSystem-Woodhull’s electrical system suffered damage as a result of flooding,” New York City Mayor Eric Adams posted Saturday evening on X, the platform formerly known as twitter. “The hospital was able to switch to back-up power, and service to patients continued under the close, watchful eye of medical professionals.

“But as repairs continue, we need to transfer patients to other @NYCHealthSystem hospitals. We’ve moved swiftly, with only 50 patients left to be moved. We immediately notified patients and families.

“We can report these New Yorkers are in the best care with no major issues,” the mayor wrote. “I thank our frontline workers for making sure this process is as smooth as possible.”
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New York officially transitions to ‘recovery phase'

New York officials on Saturday said they had “officially transitioned into the recovery phase” following “historic” rainfall on Friday throughout the Northeast.

“Our teams remain fully engaged on the ground, rigorously working to restore essential services and evaluate the full scope of the damage to infrastructure and buildings. Emergency Management is actively coordinating with our partners to execute emergency plans that encompass operations like debris management, addressing downed trees, damage assessments, sheltering, and community outreach,” an Emergency Management spokeswoman said in an email to The Independent.

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said on Saturday morning that she’d spoken “with the White House yesterday, and I spoke with majority leader [Sen Chuck] Schumer, who contacted me immediately,” the governor said. “They’re prepared to support an emergency declaration, a declaration of disaster, from the federal government, if necessary. There is a threshold that has to be met – $30m worth of damage ...it’ll take a number of weeks for us to add up and calculate that.”
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Governor calls bus drivers ‘true heroes’ during storm

Lessons learned from previous storms helped avert disaster Friday as the New York region faced torrential downpours and flooding, officials said – but the governor particularly called out bus drivers for the heroic part they played in the day’s events.

“At one time, during the storm, we had 4300 buses on the roads at the peak –about 3500 a little bit later in the day,” New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said Saturday. “What these buses did, and these brave bus drivers, the bus operators were able to give an alternative, a lifeline, to people who otherwise would have been stranded. The last thing we want ever is for someone to be stranded in a tunnel. That is frightening.

“So when things are starting to look bad, the trains are being pulled back into the station, passengers discharged, well what happens then? Where do they go? And that’s something we dealt with literally by the minute yesterday, making sure there were buses in place, enough operators called in to service them, to make sure we could keep it going, as well.

“So these bus drivers were the true heroes,” she said. “They drove into water not knowing what was on the other side; they knew their job was to get people to the next destination safely. And they did an extraordinary job – 99% of the bus routes continued during the storm.”
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Governor details 28 rescues amid ‘historic’ rainfall

More than two dozen rescues were made on Friday during heavy rainfall that flooded regions of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut, according to New York Gov. Kathy Hochul.

The governor held a press conference in New York City on Saturday following “historic” rainfall levels one day earlier.

“I want to thank all the first responders who did show up, including our Swift Water teams who made 28 rescues – 28 rescues in raging waters to help save New Yorkers in the Hudson Valley and on Long Island yesterday,” she said. “And thousands of utility crews have also been on standby, ready to keep our state moving.”

The governor announced during the press conference that full weekend MTA service had been restored thanks to workers’ diligent efforts under challenging conditions.

“There are some New Yorkers who’ve never seen the likes of which we experienced yesterday in their entire lives,” she said. “This event was historic, in some areas was record-shattering, and it is the most rain ever recorded in a single day in a place like JFK ever – not just this summer, not this year, but ever.

“And the record is still coming in,” she said. “We’re still monitoring, the rain is still falling. And it’s such in some places, it’ll be the most rain that has ever hit in 70 years.”
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NWS: ‘Lingering rain’ expected before ‘tapering off from west to east:’

The National Weather Service on Saturday shared a graphic showing residual rain in the same region where Friday flooding plagued much of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut.

“There is lingering rain moving across much of the region as indicated here with our Doppler Radar imagery late this morning,” NWS New York NY posted on X, the platform previously known as Twitter. “The rain will be mostly light and is expected to last into this afternoon before tapering off from west to east.”

In a late-night Friday update, the account advised social media users that Flood Watch had been cancelled for “all locations except New Haven County Connecticut and Suffolk County New York.”

Before the end of Friday, new daily rainfall records had already been set at JFK Airport, Central Park, LaGuardia Airport and Bridgeport Airport, according to the NWS.
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Transit, city services returning to normal after flooding

New York transit problems caused by Friday’s flooding had been almost entirely fixed by Saturday morning, with most lines back up and running the previous evening, an MTA spokesman told The Independent.

Subways had largely resumed normal function by about 9pm Friday, with further flooding problems to the N line servicing Brooklyn fixed by 5am Saturday, he said. MetroNorth lines had also resumed following diligent efforts of workers – “basically, just waiting for the water to recede, just having crews help do that process,” he said. “Buses, thankfully, did not get heavily impacted.”

The spokesman said Long Island Rail Road lines were the “same deal” after “two little hiccups” on routes closer to the water.

Meanwhile, NYC sanitation officials urged Bronx residents to bring hazardous items to a previously scheduled safe disposal event on Saturday in the Bronx, tweeting after the floods Friday that rubbish collection was ongoing and the department would “provide additional services as needed, including collecting storm debris and material that comes out of flooded homes.”