Heavy rains have left New York City struggling with flooded streets and flooding in subways, schools and basements. Authorities have declared a state of emergency in and around the city. Highways, roads and airports are closed and people are urged to stay at home. The governor of New York speaks of “life-threatening conditions”.
The severe weather affects about 23 million people in New Jersey, New York and Connecticut. Near JFK Airport, New York’s main international airport, nearly 8 inches of rain fell in one day, the most since 1948. In Brooklyn, the same amount of rain fell in just three hours as normally falls in a month. On images social media you can see how cars float through the streets and how the water has risen to waist height in some places. As far as we know, no injuries have been reported.
Sea lion escapes
The Central Park Zoo also suffered from flooding, after which a sea lion escaped from its enclosure. The sea lion, Sally, swam out of her enclosure and explored the area for some time. The zoo director said in a statement that Sally was closely monitored by zoo staff during her “unexpected adventure” but eventually returned to her enclosure, which she shares with two other sea lions, on her own.
According to the National Weather Service New York City has received nearly 12 inches of rain this month, making it the wettest September since 1882. “As we know, this changing weather pattern is a result of climate change,” Rohit Aggarwala of the New York Department of Environmental Protection said at a press conference Friday . “The sad reality is that our climate is changing faster than our infrastructure can handle.”