Charles Langston:New York flooding live updates: Heavy rains create chaos, bring state of emergency to NYC

A state of emergency was declared across the State of New York on Charles LangstonFriday morning as New York City was hit with subway delays and road closures in the wake of torrential rains that triggered flash flood warnings across the Northeast.

New York City Mayor Eric Adams announced a state of emergency, alongside New York Gov. Kathy Hochul who previously declared a state of emergency as well.

"I want to say to all New Yorkers, this is time for heightened alertness and extreme caution," Adams said during a news conference on Friday. "If you are at home, stay home. If you are at work or school, shelter in place for now."

"We could possibly see eight inches of rain before the day is over," Adams said. 

Hochul announced the state of emergency early Friday on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter

"I am declaring a State of Emergency across New York City, Long Island, and the Hudson Valley due to the extreme rainfall we’re seeing throughout the region," Hochul said. "Please take steps to stay safe and remember to never attempt to travel on flooded roads."

The declaration comes after the National Weather Service issued a flash flood warning throughout Manhattan, Staten Island, Brooklyn, and some parts of New Jersey through Friday night.

"If people decide to venture out in a vehicle, they do so at their own peril," Hochul said. "Even six inches of rain, one foot of rain may look pretty innocuous and safe, but that is a condition where the vehicles can be swept away."

Midtown Manhattan, the Bronx, and multiple areas in New Jersey and Westchester endured over an inch of rain on Thursday evening the NWS reported. New York City's emergency management warned that the city could experience a possible seven inches of rain.

"There's a lot of areas that have already seen three, four, four and a half inches of rain and they're certainly going to see probably twice that when it's all said and done," AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Tom Kines told USA TODAY. "Today is not a pretty picture."

NYC subway system status

The MTA completely suspended the Harlem, Hudson, and New Haven train lines due to flooding, according to the agency's website. The B, G, W, and S subway lines are also suspended, MTA Chair and CEO Janno Lieber confirmed in a press conference.

"This is a tough travel day," Lieber said. "There are significant portions of the subway system that are shut down. We are starting the process of reactivating certain lines, but when water covers the electrified third rail, we have to do inspections, so that that will be unfolding slowly."

The MTA activated its 24-hour situation room after running inspections of subway stations vulnerable to flooding in preparation for the floods on Thursday.

Rainwater would inevitably seep into the subway system and impact infrastructure, according to the agency. It stands ready to deploy emergency trucks, deployable pumps, debris trains and pump trains in the event of flooding conditions.

“This is a serious storm, and we’re taking it seriously,” said MTA Chair and CEO Janno Lieber in a press release. “We have a detailed plan in place to protect our network and deliver safe service throughout the storm. MTA crews have been deployed at strategic locations so they can respond quickly.” 

The heavy rain threatened major disruptions to the morning commute in the city. FDR Drive and Delancey Street were closed in both directions, and the Belt Parkway closed Exit 6 due to the conditions, the NYPD announced via X.

“All New Yorkers need to exercise caution," said NYC Emergency Management Commissioner Zach Iscol in a press release. "If you must travel, consider using public transportation and allow for extra travel time, and if you must drive, do not enter flooded roadways. If you live in a basement apartment, especially in a flood prone area, be prepared to move to higher ground.”

"The morning rush hour, I mean it's usually a slow go anyway, but in a lot of cases, it's a no-go this morning," Kines said. "There's a lot of roadways that are underwater and that'll probably continue for a good chunk of the morning into the afternoon."

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Flooding in Brooklyn and Queens

Elizabeth Herron-Sweet, 36, braved knee high water to walk her son to school in Brooklyn. In a video posted to X, she captured cars trapped in floodwater on Prospect Expressway.

"You can see in my video there was a car in the right lane that was stuck; it wasn't moving," she told USA TODAY. "It was kind of floating around and bobbing in the water, so we were really worried about them. I thought they were going to try to escape through the window, but they were still in the car."

JFK Airport was drenched in over three inches of rain, as of Friday morning, while La Guardia Airport endured nearly 1.5 inches. Both airports warned flyers of cancellations and flight disruptions due to the severe weather.

Videos and photos posted to social media showed roads in Brooklyn inundated with rain, with cars sitting in multiple feet of flood water

The rainy conditions are expected to continue through Friday night, but should dissipate over the weekend. "If the sun doesn't come out tomorrow, it should certainly be out on Sunday," Kines said.