Weather: Increasing clouds today with a high in the low 70s. The beginning of the weekend is forecast to be sunny and in the low 70s, but there is a chance of showers on Sunday.
Alternate-side parking: Suspended until further notice for storm operations.
The New York region continued to struggle with destruction from the remnants of Hurricane Ida, which killed at least 43 people and left more than 150,000 homes without power.
The deluge of rain on Wednesday — more than half a foot fell in just a few hours — turned streets and subway platforms into rivers. Emergency responders in boats rescued people from the rooftops of cars. Hundreds of people were evacuated from trains and subways.
New York City’s subway lines remained at least partly suspended throughout Thursday, as was commuter rail service across the region. Airports were open, but hundreds of flights were canceled.
At a briefing in Queens with local elected officials, Gov. Kathy Hochul said leaders were caught off guard by the ferocity of the rainfall.
“We did not know that between 8:50 p.m. and 9:50 p.m. last night, that the heavens would literally open up and bring Niagara Falls-level water to the streets of New York,” Ms. Hochul said. “Could that have been anticipated? I want to find out.”
[For the latest updates on fallout from Hurricane Ida in the New York region, go here.]
How the storm highlighted a shadow world of basement apartments
Most of the New Yorkers who lost their lives were found inside basements. Tens of thousands of people, many of them immigrants or low-income residents, seek shelter in underground dwellings that are often not legal residences and do not meet safety or building regulations.
Annetta Seecharran, the executive director of the Chhaya Community Development Corporation, a group that works on housing issues for low-income South Asian and Indo-Caribbean New Yorkers, said because of the need for affordable housing in New York City, people would continue to seek homes in basements. And because so many of the units are illegal, tenants might be reluctant to seek help or complain of unsafe conditions for fear of losing their home.
What we know about the people who died
Fifteen people are known to have died in New York, most of whom were found in Queens and Brooklyn. At least 23 people were killed in New Jersey, four people died north of Philadelphia and one in Connecticut.
One victim, Rabbi Shmuel Dovid Weissmandl, was killed after being trapped by floodwaters while driving home to Mount Kisco, N.Y.
In a Queens home where three were found dead, Choi Sledge, who lives on the third floor, said she received a frantic call around 9:30 p.m. from a woman in the basement apartment, whom she identified as Mingma Sherpam.
“She said, ‘The water is coming in right now,’ and I say, ‘Get out!’ Get to the third floor!” Mrs. Sledge recalled.
“The last thing I hear from them is, ‘The water coming in from the window.’ And that was it.”
Gov. Kathy Hochul honored an M.T.A. bus driver in Ridgewood, Queens, for continuing to work Wednesday night even as her bus flooded with water. [QNS]
And finally:
The Times’s Melissa Guerrero writes:
While people are still connecting through virtual events and programs, with the summer season here and more people getting vaccinated, venues and organizations are holding in-person events. Here are suggestions for maintaining a New York social life this weekend:
In-person: “Yemanjá Project”
On Friday at 3 p.m., join the International Brazilian Opera Company for live performances of Afro-Brazilian music at Washington Square Park.
Visit the event page for more information.
In-person: Artist workshop with Blanka Amezkua
Learn about the artist Blanka Amezkua’s current installation “Happiness is…” and participate in a papel picado workshop on Sunday at 1 p.m. in Manhattan.
Register for free on the event page.
In-person: Music in the park with Staten Island Philharmonic
On Sunday at 4 p.m. in Staten Island, listen to live performances by the Staten Island Philharmonic.
Visit the event page for more information.
It’s Friday — soak up the sun.
Metropolitan Diary: ‘Et Pourtant’
Dear Diary:
We were running late to the venue in Brooklyn, so we took a cab. My three friends got into the back seat, and I hopped in the front.
The driver was playing classic French ballads from the 1960s. He told me he was 79 and had been listening to these songs since he was probably my age.
From the back of the cab, one of my friends shouted that I was French and asked whether I recognized any of the songs.
When we stopped at a light, the driver pulled out an album filled with CDs. He picked one out, put it in the player and pressed play. “Et Pourtant” by Charles Aznavour came on.
“Ah!” I said. “This one I know.”
“Good!” he replied.
The first notes began to play, and the two of us started to sing.
— Olivia Bensimon
