New York City Faces The First Flash Flood Emergency In Its History
Record rainfall prompted the warning of a severe threat to human life.
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As the rain kept pouring and the puddles became floods, a flash flood emergency was issued for New York City for the first time.
This is an extremely dangerous and life-threatening situation, the National Weather Service in New York said when it issued the bulletin at about 9:30 p.m. on Wednesday. Do not attempt to travel unless you are fleeing an area subject to flooding or under an evacuation order.
The emergency was a first for New York City, and only the second time the Weather Service in New York has had to issue one. The first one was issued just an hour earlier for the northeast New Jersey area.
The flash flood emergency issued by the National Weather Service was more severe than a flash flood watch or even a flash flood warning. The agency defines such emergencies as exceedingly rare situations when extremely heavy rain is leading to a severe threat to human life and catastrophic damage, typically with life-threatening water rises resulting in water rescues/evacuations.
The area experienced historic rainfall amounts that prompted the dire warning. In a statement, the Weather Service said such life threatening flash flooding was possible at low-water crossings, small creeks and streams, urban areas, highways, streets and underpasses.
+june 1972 Hurricane/tropical Storm Agnes
Unlike some other flood producing hurricanes in the northeast, Agnes was not a particularly strong hurricane. In fact, most of its devastation occurred well after the Agnes had been downgraded to a tropical storm. Agnes originated in the Gulf of Mexico and slowly moved up the east coast before moving northwest across Pennsylvania and the southern tier of New York. At this point, the remnants of Agnes joined another large low pressure system and continued to produce heavy rains. During the week prior to Agnes, a large amount of shower activity resulted in widespread areas of over an inch of rain. Heavy rain from Agnes started on the night of June 20 and continued until the June 23.
Flooding from Agnes affected the Chemung, Susquehanna, Delaware and Genesee River basins in New York. The flooding in New York alone resulted in 24 deaths and damages of approximately $703 million . The Chemung River Basin was particularly hard hit with record flooding. Some river points along the Chemung River broke previous records by over 7 feet. Elmira and Corning were devastated both cities saw water over their levees and hundreds of homes and businesses inundated. The 24 deaths in New York occurred in Corning.
| Map of rainfall from Hurricane Agnes from Northeast River Forecast Center |
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Between Downpours Of Rainwater And Storm Surges From The Ocean The Potential For Future Flooding Near The Coasts And Further Inland Is High
Grimsby Street on Staten Islands eastern shore after Hurricane Sandy, Oct. 31, 2012.
Ben Fractenberg/DNAinfo
Do you know your evacuation zone? Have you packed a go bag? Whats your risk of flooding from rainwater?
You can now check that last one off your storm prep list.
As New York heads into a hurricane season that experts predict will be particularly intense, the Adams administration on Wednesday quietly released a map you can use to check your homes risk of flooding from rain.
The map shows the risk of stormwater flooding during a moderate event, or a storm with two inches of rain in an hour. For reference, 3.15 inches of rain fell in Central Park in an hour during Hurricane Ida last year.
The map which the city plans to update in August to factor in extreme events and future sea-level rise is an updated version of one that the de Blasio administration originally , which did not indicate current risk. Its part of a new campaign from the Department of Environmental Protection called Rainfall Ready, which spells out what both city government and residents must do to prepare for storms that only stand to become more intense and dangerous as a result of climate change.
This approach, emphasizing personal responsibility, marks a slight shift from the de Blasio-era New Normal plan, which laid out a series of commitments from city agencies to protect and prepare New Yorkers for the next storms.
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Locations Of Deaths Caused By The Storm
More than 40 people were killed by the heavy rains and flooding in the New York region on Wednesday and Thursday. This map shows where deaths are known to have occurred.
Larger circles indicate more than one death in a location.
Speaking from the White House, President Biden said the damage indicated that extreme storms and the climate crisis are here, constituting what he called one of the great challenges of our time.
At a news conference in Queens on Thursday morning, Gov. Kathy C. Hochul of New York said she had received a call from Mr. Biden, who she said offered any assistance as the state assessed the damage from Ida, a storm that she said represented a new normal. Late Thursday, Mr. Biden approved an emergency declaration for New York and New Jersey, allowing for the Federal Emergency Management Agency to coordinate disaster relief efforts.
We need to foresee these in advance, and be prepared, she said.
The deluge of rain on Wednesday more than half a foot fell in just a few hours turned streets and subway platforms into rivers. Emergency responders in boats rescued people from the rooftops of cars. Hundreds of people were evacuated from trains and subways. A tornado in southern New Jersey leveled a stretch of houses. A preliminary report by the National Weather Service determined that the tornado that hit Mullica Hill, N.J., was an F-3 in strength with estimated winds of 150 miles per hour. Some rivers in New Jersey and Pennsylvania were still rising.
Prep Your Space And Make A Plan
Before a storm or hurricane, the emergency management department has a long list of ways to prepare, including:
- Bringing loose objects inside your home, like garbage cans or bird feeders
- Charging any electronics you may need, especially your phone
- If you drive, putting gas in your car and moving it to higher ground
- Filling your bathtub with water in case a loss of power affects water service
- Keeping your windows closed and staying away from them, especially if you live in a high-rise building
- Making a plan with your family and loved ones about how to communicate and where to meet up in case you are separated
- Signing up for Notify NYC to get official emergency notices
Gendron also reminds New Yorkers to notify someone in your neighborhood if you do plan to evacuate that way, if searches are made for missing people, you wont be mistakenly put in that category.
Thats what happened with a neighbor of his during Sandy who evacuated Hamilton Beach at the last minute. Two days after the storm, neighbors realized she hadnt been seen for some time.
Were going, Oh, man, is she in her house? We were probably minutes away from breaking down her front door, he said. Luckily, word arrived that she had ridden out the storm at a siblings house.
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Flooding Isnt The Only Water
Deadly flash floods in New York City underscore the need to increase climate change adaptation and mitigation.
A new Sustainable1 analysis finds that water stress will be the biggest risk to the New York City region by 2050, while floods and sea level rises will also have an impact, particularly in localized areas.
Other major U.S. cities such as Los Angeles and San Diego will continue to face pressure from wildfires and drought.
New York City is heading into Climate Week Sept. 20, hard on the heels of flash flooding that claimed more than 40 lives.
The back-to-back climate disasters the remnants of Hurricane Ida hammered the city less than two weeks after Hurricane Henri, and the resulting flash floods left New York subways and streets submerged underscore the potential impact of climate change, and the destruction it can cause if large, urban centers fail to invest in adaptation infrastructure and if governments dont take action to reduce emissions.
That may seem hard to believe given the amount of rain that has landed on the city in the last few weeks, but scientists predict that extreme weather patterns will become something of a norm.
People call this whiplash, flipping from one side to the other very quickly so its overall a more extreme climate we are going into, Andreas Prein, project scientist at the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, Colorado, said in an interview.
Drought is still a big concern in the eastern U.S., he noted.
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When Superstorm Sandy wreaked havoc on parts of the Northeast in 2012, it exposed the dire need to strengthen New York City’s infrastructure to adapt to what was then a looming threat of the climate crisis.
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Evacuations: Know Your Zone
If a storm is coming, know whether you need to leave or stay put.
Find out if youre in an evacuation zone with the Office of Emergency Managements Know Your Zone address lookup tool here. There are six evacuation zones in the city, with zone 1 being the most likely to flood.
Bear in mind: the evacuation zones are drawn differently than flood risk maps designed for insurance purposes, which you can find with this look-up tool from FloodHelpNY from the Center for NYC Neighborhoods.
And evacuation orders, if the city issues them, are based on the characteristics of an actual storm as it is approaching the city, OEM says, not generic flood risk maps. Just because your home may normally have a minimal flood risk according to insurance-based maps doesnt mean you wont have to evacuate.
In Hamilton Beach, a coastal community in southern Queens, Roger Gendron says he wont ever think twice about evacuating after living through Superstorm Sandy in 2012.
Hurricane Sandy carried tons of sand over the Boardwalk in Coney Island and Brighton Beach, Nov. 11, 2012.
DNAinfo/Ben Fractenberg
He, his wife and their two kids stayed during the storm and the water filled their entire first floor that night, reaching up to two inches below the subfloor of his second story, he said. They were ultimately safe, but he wishes they had left.
And if you need to use a city-run evacuation center, its worth noting: You can bring your pets there, too, according to the OEM.
Dead In New York Region Amid Historic Flooding Caused By Ida Remnants
Extreme weather prompts first ever flash flood emergency warning for New York City from National Weather Service
The National Weather Service issued its first ever flash flood emergency warning for New York City, as the remnants of Hurricane Ida brought heavy rain that flooded subway lines and streets in Manhattan, Brooklyn and New Jersey.
At least 14 people have been killed in the flooding in New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania as basement apartments suddenly filled with water.
A New York City police spokesperson said a total of eight people died when they became trapped in flooded basements. Five people were found dead in an apartment complex in Elizabeth, New Jersey, the citys mayor and spokesperson told local media.
Another death was reported in in New Jersey in the city of Passaic. The citys mayor, Hector Lora, said a 70-year-old man was swept away. His family was rescued, they were all in the same car. Unfortunately, the car was overtaken by the waters, and the firefighters who were being dragged down under the vehicle were unable to get him out, Lora told WCBS-TV.
Officials outside of Philadelphia reported multiple fatalities, saying no additional details were immediately available.
The deaths in New York includeda 50-year-old man, a 48-year-old woman and a two-year-old boy who were found unconscious and unresponsive late Wednesday inside a home. They were pronounced dead at the scene, police said.
28th St & 7 Ave subway station
Christiaan Triebert
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Broadway Under Feet Of Water
Heavy rains left Broadway in Fair Lawn, New Jersey under feet of water which flooded cars.
Doppler Radar estimated rainfall rates between 3-5 inches per hour as thunderstorms moved through just before 3 p.m.
Some areas across Northern New Jersey saw rain falling at a rate of five inches per hour Monday afternoon.
In New York City, pedestrians sloshed through streets in Washington Heights. The NWS reported that Central Park received 1.85 inches of rain, setting a new rainfall record for the day, and breaking the old record of 1.76 inches set in 2012.
Ponding on the tracks and downed tree limbs caused major delays and temporary closures of train and subway stations in New York.
A rider caught waterfalls and floods in a New York subway station.
Flooding rains also closed down major roads across New York City area and Bergen County, New Jersey.
Flooding blocked all lanes of I-87 in New York.
“Hackensack, Lodi, Teaneck areas in New Jersey were stuck under these downpours at these rates for roughly 30 minutes,” said FOX Weather Meteorologist Marissa Lautenbacher. “So, estimating that would be approximately 2 inches of rain in that short amount of time causing the flash flooding.”
At New Jersey’s second largest mall, heavy rain turned the parking lot of Garden State Plaza into a lake.
The Hackensack Fire Department shows major flooding in the streets of Hackensack, New Jersey on Monday after storms moved through the area.
Winds blew to 69 mph near Sands Point, New York.
Here Are Some Shocking Videos Of The Flooding In The New York City
NYC Floods Multiple homes flooded in New York City. This ones in Brooklyn
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ALERT Vehicles literally floating in flood water in Queens, New York City
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Flooding Check water level in Staten Island, NYC
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New York City flood: Brooklyn drowned.
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JUST IN All subway services in New York city suspended due to severe flooding
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BREAKING Catastrophic situation in New York City after flooding. This is 28th street, NYC
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ALERT 145th Street 1 Train station in New York City #nycwx
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Severe flooding in Park Slope, Brooklyn, New York
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JUST IN Situation in Brooklyn, New York
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BREAKING Massive Flooding in 28th St Station, New York City
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#BREAKING Shocking video shows flood waters ripping through apartments in New York City
Reports of catastrophic flash flooding happening across in New Jersey and New York City as millions of people brace for this devastating floods
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Weekend Flooding Left Cars Submerged In New York And New Jersey
Cars were submerged in floodwater in northern New Jersey and New York City subway stations turned into impromptu waterfalls after heavy rain drenched the area Monday.
In the Bronx, heavy rains triggered a large sinkhole that eventually claimed two vehicles parked in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Doppler radar estimated rainfall rates between 3 and 5 inches per hour as thunderstorms moved through just before 3 p.m.
In New York City, pedestrians sloshed through streets in Washington Heights. The National Weather Service reported that Central Park received 1.85 inches of rain, setting a new rainfall record for the day, and breaking the old record of 1.76 inches set in 2012.
Ponding on the tracks and downed tree limbs caused major delays and temporary closures of train and subway stations in New York.
Flooding rains also closed down major roads across the New York City area and Bergen County, New Jersey.
Hackensack, Lodi, Teaneck areas in New Jersey were stuck under these downpours at these rates for roughly 30 minutes, said FOX Weather meteorologist Marissa Lautenbacher. So, estimating that would be approximately 2 inches of rain in that short amount of time causing the flash flooding.
At New Jerseys second-largest mall, heavy rain turned the parking lot of Garden State Plaza into a lake.
Inwood and Washington Heights
Water rescue teams were also called out to rescue drivers in Fair Lawn, New Jersey.
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