Shocked New Yorkers survey the damage following torrential rainfall

New Yorkers are shaking their heads in disbelief and trying to pick up the pieces following torrential rainfall in the Big Apple. Homes and businesses have been flooded and at least 8 people have died. Speaking to AFP, Metodija Mihajlov, whose restaurant has been flooded, said he’s never seen anything like it.

“When the rain started to get bad, my guys called me and we decided to close the restaurant and turn off the electricity and everybody left. I’ve never seen that much rain ever. It was like living in the jungle, like tropical rain. Luckily nothing was damaged. As soon as the rain stopped the water drained away.”

At a veterinary clinic in Brooklyn, where the basement and first floor flooded, owner Rebecca Stronger is in the middle of a clean-up operation. She’s in no doubt about what’s behind the extreme weather.

“Of course. Everybody knows (about) climate change. The world is exploding on so many different levels. I expect it to happen a lot.”

According to the AFP report, Central Park was doused in a record 3.15 inches (80 millimetres) of rain in just 1 hour, breaking a previous record set by tropical storm Henri last month. New Yorkers are recalling Hurricane Sandy, which flooded subways in 2012 and cut off the power in most of Manhattan.

During this week’s heavy rains, New Yorkers took to social media to share videos of water pouring down steps and into homes. Rain could also be seen gushing into subway tunnels, prompting the temporary closure of the public transport network.

According to the New York Police Department, the 8 residents who died in the boroughs of Queens and The Bronx, the youngest was just 2 years old and the eldest was 86. A recent Reuters report says that at least 44 people have perished in the north-eastern states of New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Connecticut.

SOURCE: AFP