Severe weather conditions wreaked havoc on commutes throughout the New York City area on Thursday evening, with heavy rainfall leading to flooding that affected both subways and roadways.
In response to the dangerous weather, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul declared a state of emergency across multiple counties, with Queens appearing to bear the brunt of the storm’s impact.
Janno Lieber, Chairman and CEO of the MTA, along with LIRR President Rob Free, addressed the media on Friday morning, discussing the repercussions of the flooding on mass transit operations.
Lieber pointed out the struggles of outdated infrastructure, stating, “What we’ve experienced is the challenge of having really old infrastructure and being subject to the water that comes from all over, down onto tracks and hitting the subway and commuter rail system. So we’ve got to fix that. We have to work with our partners in municipalities, especially the City of New York, to keep the water out so we don’t have these impacts on transit.”
Among the most affected thoroughfares was the Clearview Expressway, which became submerged under heavy rain Thursday afternoon.
Local resident Zach Lintz noted, “The weather got really nasty really fast,” as at least three vehicles became immobilized in the flooding. One dramatic video showcased a driver stranded on the roof of his car, desperately waiting for assistance.
“Couple guys got stuck, you know. They couldn’t go forward or backward, and the water just kept rising,” Lintz described.
Fortunately, first responders managed to rescue all individuals trapped in their vehicles without any injuries reported.
Deputy Mayor Kaz Daughtry remarked on the truck driver who became stuck while attempting to navigate through the flood. “It was almost like a monsoon. There was just so much significant rainfall in a short amount of time,” he added.
The floodwaters rose rapidly but also receded just as quickly. Crews were able to clear the catch basins along the expressway, allowing water to drain and traffic to resume normal operations.
Nearby in Bayside, parked cars were nearly submerged in the rising waters as the storm intensified. One concerned car owner even left a note on his vehicle indicating it wouldn’t start and that he would return the following day to retrieve it.
The swift moving water caused a significant disturbance, flooding the interior of the public library on Northern Boulevard.
In a critical incident, the FDNY had to rescue commuters trapped inside an LIRR train. Passengers reported sightings of floodwaters reaching near the platform of Bayside station.
One passenger recounted, “I walked to the front and saw all the water almost up to the platform.” Another expressed their discomfort, stating, “After it got into the second hour, I’m like, I’m now getting hot. I’m getting sweaty. I’m claustrophobic.”
Rob Free confirmed on Friday morning that service on the Port Washington line had resumed after earlier delays.
He explained, “The water was up to the platform here at Bayside and just east of Bayside, as you go to Great Neck, there was another flooding condition. I just want to emphasize, as well, that our system is resilient. It’s constructed in a way that can accommodate water accumulating on our property. But when you introduce storm runoff water from the surrounding areas — thousands of gallons rushing onto our property — it cannot keep up with it.”
Following the subsiding of the storm, emergency services, including the NYPD and FDNY, made rounds in low-lying areas of Queens to check on residents living in basement apartments.
Zachary Iscol, Commissioner of the city’s Office of Emergency Management, mentioned crews were also involved in addressing a minor landslide on the Cross Island Parkway.
“Still a lot of work going on around the city, but no one area that has been hardest hit or that’s requiring more cleanup than others,” Iscol informed CBS News New York early Friday morning.
image source from：cbsnews
