At Grand Central Terminal in midtown Manhattan, 63-year-old retiree Sue Evangelista waited five hours for a train to take her and her husband to Connecticut. But the train was cancelled, leaving them and thousands of people living in the city’s suburbs stranded.
“I think once they start calling the trains, there’s going to be a lot of crowding because now people will start getting off work and there’s going to be more crowding,” he said. The rain came from a low pressure system off the mid-Atlantic coast, which draws moist air in from the ocean.
Hurricane Ida in September 2021 caused widespread flooding in the area, especially Brooklyn and Queens, killing 13 people, many of them trapped in basement apartments. Both towns were hit by the worst flooding on Friday and residents were warned to take special precautions.
New York City Emergency Management Commissioner Zach Iscol urged, “If you live in these boroughs or in a basement apartment or flood-prone area, please make sure you have plans and are prepared to get to higher ground. “