New York flooded by heavy rains, subway partly paralyzed

Heavy rains overnight in the northeastern United States left parts of New York City under water on Friday, partially paralyzing subways and airports in the country’s financial capital.

New York Governor Kathy Hochul declared an official state of emergency for the city, Long Island to the east, and the Hudson River valley to the north, warning people to not travel on flooded roads.

Images from around New York showed cars half-submerged and traffic snarled, with some major roads completely blocked.

The massive New York subway system was also hit by the flooding, with several lines closed in Brooklyn.

“There is only extremely limited subway service available because of heavy flooding. Service is suspended at many stations,” the subway declared on social media.

“Please stay home if you don’t need to travel,” it said.

The National Weather Service warned of flooding through late Friday with as much as two inches (5.1 centimeters) of rain falling per hour.

It said total accumulation on Friday could hit seven inches (18 centimeters).

“Excessive runoff will likely result in scattered to numerous instances of flash flooding in urban and poor drainage areas, as well as along quick responding small rivers and streams,” it said.

The rain came from a low pressure system along the mid-Atlantic coast, which pulls in moist air from the ocean.

In September 2021 Hurricane Ida brought extensive flooding to the region, leaving 13 people dead, many of them trapped in basement apartments.

© 2023 AFP