Two men lost their lives during a brief yet intense downpour in New York City, which dumped nearly three inches of rain on the metropolitan area over a mere 10 minutes. In Brooklyn, a desperate bid to save his dog from a flooding basement ended tragically for one man, while another man met a similar fate in Manhattan while attempting to make repairs in a boiler room.
The deceased were identified as a 39-year-old and a 43-year-old man, but their names have not been released by authorities. Both individuals were found dead at the scene of their respective incidents, with one having ventured into his basement during heavy rain to try and rescue his pet, while the other attempted to carry out maintenance work in an attempt to prevent water from pouring in.
According to flood maps created with city and state funding, both buildings where the men worked or lived are located in areas with a low risk of flooding. However, Mayor Eric Adams attributed the severity of the storm's impact to clogged storm drains caused by fall foliage, which exacerbated the deluge.
National Weather Service meteorologist Dave Radell said that while the rainfall totals were within forecasted limits, they occurred over an unusually short time frame, primarily between 3pm and 5pm. If the storm had stalled or moved more slowly, the city could have experienced prolonged periods of heavy rain, potentially leading to even more catastrophic consequences.
The hardest-hit neighborhoods during the storm were Bedford-Stuyvesant, Crown Heights, and uptown Manhattan, which bore the brunt of the deluge. The city's aging sewer system was severely tested by the torrential downpour, with water pouring into basements and homes across the five boroughs.
Historical precedent suggests that such a scenario could have been mitigated if the city's infrastructure had been better equipped to handle extreme weather events. Hurricane Ida in 2021, which claimed 13 lives and caused widespread damage, dropped over three inches of rain per hour on parts of Manhattan alone. Some neighborhoods received as much as nine inches of rain before the storm finally subsided.
In the wake of the latest disaster, city officials are grappling with new safety regulations for basement apartments, which were recently legalized through an effort aimed at addressing New York's housing crisis. To alleviate the crunch on affordable housing, landlords can now convert basements into legal rental units with specific requirements in place to ensure their safety and stability during severe weather events.
The deceased were identified as a 39-year-old and a 43-year-old man, but their names have not been released by authorities. Both individuals were found dead at the scene of their respective incidents, with one having ventured into his basement during heavy rain to try and rescue his pet, while the other attempted to carry out maintenance work in an attempt to prevent water from pouring in.
According to flood maps created with city and state funding, both buildings where the men worked or lived are located in areas with a low risk of flooding. However, Mayor Eric Adams attributed the severity of the storm's impact to clogged storm drains caused by fall foliage, which exacerbated the deluge.
National Weather Service meteorologist Dave Radell said that while the rainfall totals were within forecasted limits, they occurred over an unusually short time frame, primarily between 3pm and 5pm. If the storm had stalled or moved more slowly, the city could have experienced prolonged periods of heavy rain, potentially leading to even more catastrophic consequences.
The hardest-hit neighborhoods during the storm were Bedford-Stuyvesant, Crown Heights, and uptown Manhattan, which bore the brunt of the deluge. The city's aging sewer system was severely tested by the torrential downpour, with water pouring into basements and homes across the five boroughs.
Historical precedent suggests that such a scenario could have been mitigated if the city's infrastructure had been better equipped to handle extreme weather events. Hurricane Ida in 2021, which claimed 13 lives and caused widespread damage, dropped over three inches of rain per hour on parts of Manhattan alone. Some neighborhoods received as much as nine inches of rain before the storm finally subsided.
In the wake of the latest disaster, city officials are grappling with new safety regulations for basement apartments, which were recently legalized through an effort aimed at addressing New York's housing crisis. To alleviate the crunch on affordable housing, landlords can now convert basements into legal rental units with specific requirements in place to ensure their safety and stability during severe weather events.
... like anyone would be crazy enough to live down there without some serious flood insurance 
. But seriously, 3 inches of rain in 10 minutes is wild 
. You'd think the city's infrastructure would be better equipped for something that obvious. I mean, who needs ancient sewer systems and clogged storm drains when you can just prep for the worst weather event? 
And now they're making safety regulations for basement apartments... about time 
. But it's still a tragedy that two lives were lost over this. Hopefully, the city will take some real steps to improve their infrastructure and prevent this from happening again 
.
two guys lost their lives tryna save ther dog & do repairs in da basement 
idk wut's more crazy, da heavy rain comin outta nowhere or dat dey live in areas w/ low flood risk 
i mean we all no about da citys sewer system bing all old & outdated...like wat took dem so long 2 fix it?? 
hurricane ida was like yrs ago, den dey had to deal w/ 9 inches of rain in mins? now its just 3 inches in 10 min 
da gov's gotta step up w/ new safety regz for basement apartments 
hopefully dey'll do somethin b4 another disaster happens 
can't we just take responsibility for our infrastructure? it's like they're saying "oh well" instead of trying to fix the problem.
why do these kinds of disasters keep happening? i'm not saying we shouldn't have new safety regulations, but can't we just invest in our infrastructure instead of making it so that people have to resort to desperate measures like venturing into flooded basements? 
. It's crazy how two men lost their lives due to a brief yet intense storm, considering both buildings were supposedly located in low-risk flood zones 
. I mean, you'd think that with all the funding from the city and state, they would have invested more in upgrading the sewer system to handle extreme weather events 
. Maybe with some added safety measures and regular inspections, we can prevent such tragedies from happening again 
.
. We need to prioritize investing in sustainable solutions to address climate change and mitigate its effects on our cities 
.
But what about the two guys who were trying to save their dog or do some maintenance work when the storm hit? I mean, they knew there was a risk involved, but you can't just blame the city for being unprepared when individuals take unnecessary risks themselves. It's not all the city's fault that the storm came out of nowhere and caught people off guard 
. I mean, we've seen warnings about extreme weather before, like Hurricane Ida back in 2021 
. We should have better solutions in place to prevent these kinds of tragedies from happening again 
.
! It's about time we prioritize housing affordability and safety 
.
. And that's a major problem. Our city's aging sewer system is literally failing us during times of crisis.
.
. I mean, come on, a little planning and maintenance can go a long way, especially when it comes to heavy rain events 
. We need to take care of ourselves and our homes, not leave us vulnerable to these kinds of disasters 
. Let's hope the city takes this as an opportunity to make some real changes 
i cant even imagine being in those situations... like the guy who tried to save his dog 
and ended up dyin' 
it's just not fair 
city officials need to step up their game 
I'm telling you, it's not just the rain that's the problem here... it's the lack of preparedness for the infrastructure failures that happen when our systems are pushed to the limit. And what about those flood maps they're citing? I bet they're conveniently downplaying the role of human error and negligence. 
I mean, clogged storm drains caused by fall foliage? Come on! That's just a smokescreen for the real issue: the city's failure to invest in a more robust sewer system from the get-go.
️. It's just not worth risking your life, you know? 
. Maybe they can even add some green roofs or rain gardens to help with all the extra water 
. That would be so cool 
!
. I mean, it's so funny watching her just slide around like she owns the place! Anyway, back to this storm... what's up with these flooding basement apartments? They should've been designed with a better backup system or something 
! Has anyone tried it yet?