New York Gov. Kathy Hochul declared a state of emergency Friday over rains that are causing flash flooding in several areas including the Big Apple, where the subway, bus and highway systems have been affected.
Hochul told ABC7 today that the "epicenter" of the storm is in Brooklyn and recalled that "flash floods are unpredictable" and can be deadly, so he has recommended the population to stay at home and not take vehicles, which can become death traps.
The area of the Hudson Valley, in the north of the state, and Long Island, in the east, where it is estimated that the water can reach 13 centimeters, and the five boroughs of New York City, where it could reach up to about 23 centimeters, according to NBC.
So far, no property or human damage has been reported, but there are disruptions to New York City subway lines, suspended lines on the MetroNorth railroad, and delays in buses heading to New Jersey from Manhattan.
LaGuardia Airport in Queens, where access to a terminal has been closed, has also been affected, while local media record delays in flights from the three airports in the New York metropolitan area.
Videos shared on social networks by New Yorkers from the early hours show flooded streets in Brooklyn, where water reaches half the height of cars, as well as buses with the ground full of water and subway stations where jets of water fall from the roof.
According to weather forecasts, it is expected to rain throughout the day and until the early hours of Saturday, and the amount of water could reach in some points the measures recorded with Hurricane Ida, two years ago.
Due to the flooding of Hurricane Ida, more than a dozen people died in the city, especially those who were in basements of buildings in Queens County, the most affected then.