Flooded roads, canceled commuter trains, chaos in the subway: torrential rains in the northeast of the United States suddenly paralyzed the megacity of New York on Friday, straining its ability to withstand extreme weather.
The city that never sleeps was partially brought to a standstill by the heavy rainfall that hit the region. Flooded streets, canceled trains and submerged metro stations made travel very difficult for residents. The mayor of New York has also called on the population to exercise caution and to stay at home if possible.
Impressive images circulated on social networks, showing cars completely submerged and traders trying to empty the water from their shops. Even the metro, a true symbol of the city, was not spared from the floods, which made the network partially unusable.
These heavy rains have once again highlighted the infrastructure challenges New York City faces in the face of climate change. The city’s environmental protection commissioner has said that climate change is progressing faster than the ability of the city’s infrastructure to adapt.
Local authorities have declared a state of emergency, in order to mobilize all necessary means to deal with this crisis. Basement dwellers, who were particularly affected during previous floods, are urged to seek safety on the upper floors of their buildings.
This new wave of floods is a sad reminder of the devastating consequences of extreme weather events. It is more necessary than ever to take measures to strengthen infrastructure and adapt cities to the challenges of climate change. Otherwise, events like this could become more and more frequent and cause even greater disruption to our daily lives.