New York Declared State of Emergency Due to Flooding Transcript

The state of emergency in New York, a deluge of two months worth of rain falling on the city in 24 hours, causing severe flooding in some areas. Somara Theodore is here with the latest as things dry out a bit. Somara, good morning.

Good morning. So yesterday’s powerful and moisture laden storm capped off New York City’s second-wettest September on record as torrential rainfall left those in transit in dangerous and simply impossible situations.

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This morning, New Yorkers drying out after a dangerous deluge left many areas underwater from record-breaking rain. Over the last 24 hours, unrelenting rain, turning roads into rivers, cars stranded as people flee for dry ground, and millions of New Yorkers urged to shelter in place. In New Jersey, a state of emergency, floodwater swamping roads, making travel dangerous and narrowly impossible. In Fairfield, watch as a firefighter hoist a driver over his shoulders, rescuing him from the stranded car in the middle of a flooded street, one of at least 18 rescues throughout the region. In New York, states of emergency in New York City and the Hudson Valley. One of the big apple’s wettest days on record with more than half of foot of rain falling. The NYPD sharing video of this sea lion that escaped from its enclosure due to the flooding, but returned without leaving the zoo.

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The torrential downpour sending water cascading downstairs at subway stations. The system coming to a complete halt as rain poured through openings and cracks. This video showing water shooting out of the wall at the Seventh Avenue Subway Station in Manhattan.

I want to get off right here.

Riders on this city bus in a panic as water surges inside, drivers abandoning their cars on the FDR highway on Manhattan’s East Side. At the city’s LaGuardia Airport, one terminal shut down as waters rise. More than a thousand flights canceled or delayed. Hard hit Brooklyn receiving nearly a month’s worth of rain in just a few hours. Vehicles plowing through flooded roads and floating trash. A whirlpool forming over a storm drain. Brooklyn’s Fourth Avenue looking like a lake. SUVs creating waves as drivers test their luck despite the dangerous conditions.

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And you know what’s wild about all this? As we see the ramifications of climate change persist, events like this will be more frequent. So let’s see what we ended with here. So at JFK Airport, they saw 8.6 inches of rain. That was their wettest day on record since they began keeping that in 1948. And we saw rain totals high in even Norwalk, Connecticut, just over five and a half inches there. So what happens next with this system? We’re almost done, through the thick of it, but we could still see one last heavy wave of rain over Long Island this morning by about 3:00 PM this afternoon, the last of it moving through New England. And then we’re drying out. As far as totals go, generally speaking about one inch, but we could see one to two inches on Long Island near Brookhaven. That’s a look at the forecast. Shanae, back to you.

Oh my gosh, Somara. Those images truly wild and just mind-blowing. Thank you for that.