MEAWW.COM / NEWS / HUMAN INTEREST

New York, New Jersey declare emergency amid flash floods, power outage after downpour

Governor Kathy Hochul announced a State Disaster Emergency as the incessant rainfall threatened to bring more floods through parts of New York

New York has declared a state of emergency in areas of the Southern Tier, Catskills and Hudson Valley as the Northeast witnessed heavy rainfall starting Monday night, October 25.

Governor Kathy Hochul announced a State Disaster Emergency late Monday as the incessant rainfall threatened to bring more floods through parts of New York and the Big Apple. Meteorologists have predicted a heavy downpour across the Capital Region, Long Island, New York City, Mid-Hudson, and Southern Tier regions through Wednesday morning, October 27. The experts forecast total rainfall of four or more inches with the potential for more than one inch of rain per hour, thereby increasing the risk of flash floods. Meanwhile, the National Weather Service issued a Flash Flood Watch for several regions in the northeast through Tuesday, October 26,  afternoon.

RELATED ARTICLES

Hurricane Henri: Brooklyn 'river' video goes viral as storm barrels into Long Island and NYC

Newark airport flooded, viral video shows submerged terminal as flights halted

"I am proactively declaring a State of Emergency to ensure we can provide the necessary resources to respond to this storm and protect lives and property in regions where the forecast is calling for significant rainfall," Hochul said in a statement. "I am encouraging New Yorkers to prepare now for inclement weather expected over the coming days and urging commuters to take precaution ahead of heavy rainfall expected tomorrow morning."

The NYPD Transportation Bureau reported flooding on major roadways throughout Brooklyn and Queens.

Meanwhile, WLNY reporter John Dias said that "it looks like it's raining" inside the Rock Center subway station on October 26 morning.

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority or MTA has revealed it will deploy about 900 pumps to "get water out" of the subway system. "Do not be alarmed if you see a little water on a platform, if you see water on stairs," MTA Acting Chairman Janno Lieber said in a press conference. "The system is designed to deal with it, and we will be ready."

In the adjacent state of New Jersey, Governor Phil Murphy declared an emergency effective 8 pm ET on October 25 after citing "severe weather conditions" expected to "impact the state starting tonight through the next several days." Officials warned the storm had the potential to cause flash flooding and winds up to 50 miles an hour. Meanwhile, there are about 3,200 reported power outages at the time of writing.

New Jersey residents were implored by Governor Murphy to "be safe and use common sense." He advised them to "stay home" and warned drivers to avoid down power lines and turn around if roads are flooded, should people need to get to work or school. "We lost too many people in [Hurricane] Ida who drove through floodwaters," he warned. Meanwhile, Transportation Commissioner Diane Gutierrez-Scaccetti assured that the flooding on roadways is best described as "intermittent".

According to Accuweather, the storm could morph into a "bomb cyclone," which is when "the central pressure of a storm drops by 0.71 of an inch of mercury (24 millibars) or more over a 24-hour period," also referred to as bombogenesis. However, the weather outlet noted that "the storm is poised to bring miserable weather conditions" to the Northeast. That said, a state of emergency declaration gives authorities the ability to divert more resources to the areas hardest hit by the deluge, including the activation of its emergency operations center located in Albany.