‘Unprecedented is almost an understatement,’ Hochul says of New York flooding
CNN
By Veronica Stracqualursi, CNN
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul on Thursday called the massive flooding overnight in the state and New York City, caused by the remnants of Hurricane Ida, “one for the record books” and “absolutely stunning on a scale.”
“Unprecedented is almost an understatement,” Hochul told CNN’s Kaitlan Collins on “New Day” Thursday morning.
The deadly and paralyzing flooding marks the first disaster that Hochul, the state’s former lieutenant governor, has had to respond to since stepping into the role of governor less than two weeks ago after Andrew Cuomo resigned.
The newly-minted governor declared a state of emergency early Thursday morning, and New York City issued a flash flood emergency for the first time in its history. Several inches of rain fell per hour causing heavy flooding that brought railways and the New York City subway service to a standstill and left many unable to reach their destinations.
Hochul urged commuters to remain at home and to “give us some time to have complete restoration of the trains.” She warned New Yorkers not to venture out into the streets, saying it’s “dangerous” due to fallen power lines and debris.
“There’s going to be a massive cleanup. I would continue to urge people to stay home. Check on your neighbors, give everybody a call, make sure they’re OK, because people are just stunned by what happened last night,” Hochul told CNN.
The governor said she will survey the damage later Thursday and offer assistance where county and city leaders need it.
She added that New York state is “prepared” and “used to disasters, but you just cannot anticipate how much rain fell out of the heavens last night.”
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CNN’s Kristina Sgueglia, Madeline Holcombe and Jason Hanna contributed to this report.
