New York City Infrastructure Hit by Torrential Rains

No deaths or serious injuries have been reported in the aftermath of severe flooding that swept through New York City on Friday.

A state of emergency has been declared in New York after flash floods caused by torrential rains wreaked havoc in America's most populous city.

New York Governor Kathy Hochul, who announced the measure, stressed that “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 also told a local television station about the "very challenging" and "life-threatening" destructive floods that have submerged streets, basements, subway stations, vehicles and even New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport.

Hochul was echoed by New York City Mayor Eric Adams, who called for "heightened alertness and extreme caution", adding that "some of our subways are flooded, and it is extremely difficult to get around the city".

The comments came after the National Weather Service issued an emergency alert warning of the "dangerous situation" and urging people "not to attempt to travel unless fleeing an area affected by flooding or under an evacuation order".

A woman holding an umbrella walks through through floodwater in Brooklyn, New York on September 29, 2023.

© AFP 2023 / ED JONES

Solving the city's growing stormwater problems will require a huge investment in infrastructure, experts say.

The city's 2021 report, called The New Normal, estimated that recalibrating the sewers would take decades and cost $100 billion. Upgrading the system in southeast Queens alone would cost $2 billion, it found.