New York Gov. Kathy Hochul on Friday declared a state of emergency in New York City and the area, after heavy rain and flooding led to subway and rail service suspensions and the closure of a terminal at LaGuardia Airport.
“I am declaring a State of Emergency in New York City, the Hudson Valley and Long Island in response to the significant, dangerous rainfall that is currently impacting the region and is expected to continue for the next 20 hours,” Hochul said in a statement quoted by CNBC.
“Ahead of this storm we deployed thousands of State personnel and I have directed all State agencies to provide all necessary resources to address this extreme weather event. It is critical that all New Yorkers take all necessary precautions and avoid flooded roads, which are some of the most dangerous places during flash floods,” she added.
Forecasts are reinforcing the potential for heavy rain centered around the NYC area from Friday into Saturday morning. A flood watch is in effect through 6:00 a.m. Saturday for the entire tri-state, with rainfall rates of 1-2 inches per hour expected at times.
As of 11:00 a.m. Friday morning, parts of New York City had already seen five inches of rain, according to CNBC.
Flash flood warnings were issued for much of NYC and surrounding counties in New Jersey, the Hudson Valley and into Connecticut into the early afternoon, and were likely to be extended further.
A number of subway lines were suspended on Friday morning with other lines suspending service through flooded stations, especially in Brooklyn.
The New York City Emergency Management Department issued a travel advisory for all day Friday and for Saturday morning.
(Israel National News' North American desk is keeping you updated until the start of Sukkot in New York. The time posted automatically on all Israel National News articles, however, is Israeli time.)