Residents of New York began cleaning their homes and businesses, removing debris left behind by unprecedented rainfall that surprised the city. After the rain subsided, residents stepped out to assess the damage from a stormy night that caused significant destruction and resulted in the loss of at least eight lives.
Jonas Siegel told AFP as he looked at the debris outside his home in Manhattan, "A huge tree fell on my car and smashed it to the point it can't be repaired." His neighbor, Michael Price, appeared astonished as he added, "It was unbelievable." Nearby, Mito Mikhailov examined the damage in the basement of his restaurant, which was flooded, saying, "When the rain intensified, my employees called me, we decided to close the restaurant and turn off the power, and everyone left." The 50-year-old man remarked, "I've never seen this much rain before," likening it to "living in a jungle and experiencing tropical rainfall." Mikhailov told AFP, "Fortunately, nothing was damaged. As soon as the rain stopped, the water dried up."
In Brooklyn, Rebecca was wiping water off the floor in her veterinary clinic when she said, "We all went out to clean our shops, and we accomplished that task."
**Human Losses**
The record rainfall of 3.15 inches (80 mm) over Central Park within just one hour broke the previous monthly record set by Tropical Storm Henri. Rebecca noted that she expects more storms in the future due to climate change, adding, "Of course, everyone knows about climate change. The world is deteriorating on different levels. I expect storms like this to happen a lot."
The flooding recalled memories of Hurricane Sandy, a much stronger storm that knocked out power in much of Manhattan and caused the subway to close. Subway services were suspended late Wednesday but slowly began to resume early Thursday. Many residents shared videos on social media showing water flowing from apartment stairwells.
The New York Police Department reported that eight people, ages ranging from two to 86, lost their lives in the Queens and Bronx areas. New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, who declared a state of emergency on Wednesday, tweeted, "Our hearts are broken for the lives lost in last night’s storm." He added, "Please think of them and their loved ones today. They were New Yorkers like us, and to their families, we say your city will stand by you in the days ahead."
