Sudden Floods Brought Citywide Disruptions

By Y.M. Lowy

If you were anywhere in the area last night, you probably saw it coming down fast. Streets turned to rivers in minutes. The rain slammed New York with such force that it brought trains, roads, and airports to a crawl.

More than two inches fell in under an hour, making it one of the wettest hours in city history. Subways were hit hard. Stations flooded, trains on the 1, 2, 3, E, F, M, and R lines stopped running, and buses had to reroute as roads filled with water.

The MTA says this wasn’t a transit failure. They’re blaming the city’s sewer system, which couldn’t handle the sudden storm. Once the water backed up above ground, it poured straight into the subway.

Roads were also overwhelmed. The Cross Bronx Expressway, FDR Drive, and several major parkways shut down. Emergency crews were called in to rescue people trapped in cars.

At the airports, JFK, LaGuardia, and Newark saw major delays. Flights were held at the gate and some circled for hours before getting the all-clear to land.

By morning, the floodwaters had mostly drained, but service disruptions remain. Crews are still working to get everything back to normal.

photo: Shutterstock