I woke up this morning to the sound of my husband telling me that there was a man up to his waist in water on a street a block from us and that the outdoor seating for a bar nearby had already collapsed into the water. We live in Park Slope, Brooklyn, at the bottom of the “slope.” I got out of bed and watched a car headed for a particularly watery part of the street make a U-turn, driving across a low concrete median instead of attempting to drive through it.
“Heavy rain in NYC causing flooding of streets & low-lying areas, including basements. Prepare to move to higher ground if needed as flooding may occur with little to no notice and can be life-threatening,” the city’s emergency notification system warned. “If you must travel, exercise caution and avoid flooded roadways.”
“I guess I am not going to the office?” I said. Downstairs, our super was working to remove water that had crept into the building. Governor Kathy Hochul declared a state of emergency, and the MTA, too, urged people to just stay home.
Across the city, people struggled to deal with the water. From the particular spot where I sit, the deluge has cleared up over the course of an hour and a half, though the rain and emergency warning continue to be in effect.
Some commuters were left to brave streets that looked more like canals:
This scooter (or motorcycle?) was almost completely submerged in the water:
Cars on the highway, with nowhere else to go, moved slowly into the water:
People on a bus lifted up their feet as water sloshed around the vehicle:
Extreme precipitation events, a climate change indicator, are on the rise. Viruses, fires, storms, rain—those of us who can are all staying hunkered inside more and more frequently.
