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New Yorkers woke up Friday morning to a drenching downpour that is expected to continue into Saturday, bringing potentially dangerous flash flooding and soaking the greater tri-state area with up to 7 inches of rain.

Gov. Kathy Hochul declared a state of emergency over the unrelenting storm, tweeting, “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.

Please take steps to stay safe and remember to never attempt to travel on flooded roads.”

Mayor Eric Adams issued a state of emergency declaration two hours later, well after the morning rush hour.

Wild scenes of flooding unfolded throughout the city as the storm moved through the tri-state area, turning local roads into rivers during the morning rush hour.

Follow The Post’s live coverage of the epic storm forecasters have deemed “life-threatening”:

What you need to know

Sea lion escapes Central Park Zoo enclosure in floodwaters as rain batters NYC

By Megan Palin

She had a flippin’ good time!

A sea lion at the Central Park Zoo enjoyed a brief taste of freedom Friday as she hitched a ride on floodwaters and used her flippers to swim out of her pool enclosure as the Big Apple was inundated with torrential rain.

The marine mammal “explored the area” during her impromptu swimming excursion — but didn’t leave the facility’s grounds, officials said.

A seal lion enjoyed a brief taste of freedom as she hitched a ride on floodwaters and swam out of her Central Park Zoo pool enclosure on Friday.
A seal lion enjoyed a brief taste of freedom as she hitched a ride on floodwaters and swam out of her Central Park Zoo pool enclosure on Friday. JShadab1/Twitter

Wildlife Conservation Society’s executive vice president, Jim Breheny, said in a statement that the sea lion “was able to swim out of her pool due to flooding of the plaza caused by severe rains in New York City today”.

“Zoo staff monitored the sea lion as she explored the area before returning to the familiar surroundings of the pool and the company of the other two sea lions,” he continued.

“The water levels have receded, and the animals are contained in their exhibit.”

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MTA battling to restore service after torrential rains flood subways, Metro-North: ‘ This is historic’

By Nolan Hicks and Sarah Goodman

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority was battling to restore service for the Friday evening rush-hour after torrential rains flooded out key tracks under the East River and in The Bronx, crippling the subway system and the Metro-North commuter railroad.

The scenes played out across the city: In Brooklyn, straphangers packed the platforms at the Atlantic Avenue subway hub, where just two of the nine subway lines were running — and both were struggling with major delays.

Across the river, in Manhattan, commuters trying to get home to Westchester and Connecticut packed into Grand Central Terminal where Metro-North had suspended much of its service after a key stretch of trunk line in The Bronx went underwater.

“This is not an ordinary rainfall: this is historic. We are on track to possibly create a new record of 10 inches of rain falling in literally 24 hours,” Gov. Hochul said at an afternoon MTA press conference at Grand Central, where she appeared via a video link from her offices at the state capitol in Albany.

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The wild ways New Yorkers are battling NYC’s torrential downpours, flooding

By Megan Palin

A full moon has contributed to high floodwater levels causing mayhem across New York City as Friday’s torrential downpours prompted officials to declare a state of emergency.

But some might speculate that it’s also to blame for brazen, strange and risky behavior exhibited by New Yorkers who have taken to the streets to swim, dance, drive and walk their dogs as the record rains flood subways, roads and buildings.

@tkarti2

not the banana suit thou 😭🤦🏽‍♂️ #fyp#nyc

♬ You Can't Stop The Rain - Loose Ends

Many people have been seen in social media videos braving the wild weather while others take advantage of it in various unconventional ways.

One man was filmed dressed in a banana costume while busting a groove in the knee-deep waters as another person filmed him and onlookers passed by.

The clip, believed to have been taken in the Big Apple, was filmed on a street inundated with flash floods from the barrage of rainfall.

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Commuters struggle to make it up flooded subway steps

By Olivia Land

New York City commuters struggled to make it up a set of flooded subway stairs as torrents of water created a veritable waterfall down to the platform.

The clip from the Grand Armory and Flatbush Avenue station showed two pedestrians inching slowing up the edge of the stairs as they narrowly avoided being taken down by the rushing water.

Mayor Eric Adams blasted for ‘lack of communication,’ slow response to massive storm: ‘Dumbfounded’

By Craig McCarthy and Nolan Hicks

Mayor Eric Adams was blasted for a slow response to Friday’s massive flooding — after he failed to issue more than the most meager warning the day before and even showed up late for an emergency management hearing with other officials.

While other leaders from organizations such as the MTA held major briefings, Adams’ only warning to New Yorkers Thursday was some retweeted weather announcements — he then went off to a party that night, leaving classes to go on as normal at schools, some of which wound up flooded.

He finally issued a state of emergency some two hours after Gov. Kathy Hochul did so for the state — and as rain started to taper off.

Even fellow Democrats were left steaming.

“I am dumbfounded by the lack of communication from City Hall to prepare people for this extreme weather event,” Councilman Lincoln Restler (D-Brooklyn), who represents Brooklyn Heights and South Williamsburg, told The Post.

“Aggressive, early communication and to plan for the worst-case scenario … Neither happened here.”

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How to stay safe in NYC during flood: ‘Time for extreme caution’

By Ben Cost

This is a flood-pocalypse New Yorkers shouldn’t ignore.

Biblical downpours battered the Big Apple early Friday, inundating busesswamping schools and turning streets into Venetian canals as NYC Mayor Eric Adams issued a state of emergency due to the potential for flash floods.

FDR Drive in Manhattan near the Williamsburg Bridge on Friday.
The FDR Drive in Manhattan near the Williamsburg Bridge on Friday. REUTERS

“This is time for heightened alertness and extreme caution,” declared Hizzoner during a press conference.

“We could possibly see 8 inches of rain before the day is over. This dangerous weather condition is not over, and I don’t want those gaps in heavy rain to give the appearance that [it is] over.”

Recent footage showed cars plowing through knee-deep water in Brooklyn’s Sunset Park neighborhood, with a whirlpool forming in the middle of the road like something out of a disaster movie.

In light of the Big Apple’s Atlantis-ification, experts have issued advice on how to navigate the city during the deluge.

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Whirlpool forms at flooded Brooklyn intersection

By Olivia Land

A whirpool grows in Brooklyn.

Borough pedestrians were shocked Friday morning to find a whirlpool forming at a flooded Carroll Street intersection.

Emergency in nyc pic.twitter.com/oNl1idC937

— EveryThing Plus ULTRA (@EveryTPlusULTRA) September 29, 2023

Just behind the whirlpool, a car nearly up to its windshield in water appeared to still be trying to make its way through the severe flooding brought by heavy rains from Tropical Storm Ophelia.

Passersby were captured taking out their phones to photograph the bizarre sight before attempting to get through the water themselves.

NJ Gov. Phil Murphy declares state of emergency

By Olivia Land

New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy declared a state of emergency effective 3 p.m. Friday, he announced on X, formerly known as Twitter.

“We are experiencing heavy rainfall that is expected to accelerate in many parts of the state over the next several hours,” Murphy wrote.

“Residents should stay off the roads, remain alert, and follow all safety protocols.”

Murphy’s announcement comes a couple hours after Hoboken, which is located across the Hudson River from New York City, declared a state of emergency due to the flooding.

Central Park’s Bethesda Fountain surrounded by ‘lake’ as flooding closes in

By Olivia Land

Central Park’s iconic Bethesda Fountain appeared to be surrounded by a lake of floodwater due to the ongoing heavy rains that have shut down most of the city.

“Okay so they weren’t joking about the flash flooding nyc,” TikTok user Sydney Brown posted in a video of herself looking shocked just paces away from the flooded pavilion.

“Stay safe out there!!!!” Brown cautioned viewers.

New Yorkers rip Uber, Lyft for surging prices during storm

By Emily Crane

Furious New Yorkers took aim at Uber and Lyft on Friday, accusing the “slime ball” rideshare companies of surging prices as heavy rain and flooding pummeled the Big Apple.

As the potent rush-hour rainstorm swamped New York City and shut down large swaths of the subway system, some customers raged on social media that Uber and Lyft prices were soaring well over $100 across the five boroughs.

tweet showing uber prices
"Time to delete #Uber," one person tweeted.

One Uber user noted the company was trying to charge her more than $80 to commute 10 minutes to work.

“My daily route to go to work 10-15 minutes away. Due to heavy rain @Uber likes to rob the people of NYC,” she tweeted, alongside a screenshot of the app that warned “fares are a lot higher due to increase demand.”

Another person said their Lyft from Brooklyn to JFK Airport was priced at nearly $200.

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Subways, streets still dangerously flooded as rain continues

By Olivia Land

New York City’s streets and subways are still heavily flooded Friday afternoon – several hours into the heavy rainfall that forced most residents to shelter in place.

@tombo632

Flooding at the 7th Avenhe Station in Brooklyn @WhatIsNewYork @SubwayCreatures @NBC New York #newyork#newyorkcity#brooklyn#subway @MTA

♬ original sound - tombo632

Streams of water poured through the tile walls of the Seventh Avenue station in Brooklyn, a video shared on TikTok showed.

Nearby, in Park Slope, pedestrians struggled to walk on the sidewalk overwhelmed with fast-running floodwaters.

Eric Adams warns rain, flooding ‘isn’t done with us’

By Olivia Land

Mayor Eric Adams issued a warning Friday afternoon that the heavy rain and flash flooding “isn’t done with us,” and that the New York area may “see up to 8 inches of rain by tomorrow morning.”

“I personally inspected flooding conditions in Sheepshead Bay and Canarsie,” Adams added.

Today's weather isn't done with us yet. We might see up to eight inches of rain by tomorrow morning. I personally inspected flooding conditions in Sheepshead Bay and Canarsie.

— Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani (@NYCMayor) September 29, 2023

Earlier on Friday, the mayor claimed he was 40 minutes late to his own press conference because he was viewing the flood conditions for himself.

He came under fire for delaying issuing a state of emergency for the city until almost noon -- two hours after Gov. Kathy Hochul issued a similar warning.

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