New York City Mayor urges some residents to move to higher ground amid heavy flooding

New York City Democratic Mayor Eric Adams on Thursday afternoon urged residents that live in basement-level apartments to immediately seek higher ground as the city experiences heavy rainfall that could cause significant flooding.

Adams, who is running for reelection later this year, also had to deal this week with the crisis surrounding the mass shooting that killed four people, including an off-duty police officer, plus the shooter, at a Park Avenue skyscraper. 

The mayor's order comes after New York Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul declared a state of emergency for the city. Adams also instructed residents not to travel in the current weather conditions, which could cause flooding in the city's subways.

"I’ve issued a state of emergency," Adams said in a post on X. "The Travel Advisory and Flood Watch are in effect until 8 AM. Stay where you are if you can. Don’t drive. Roadways are flooding, and crews are responding. If you live in a basement apartment, and haven’t yet moved to higher ground, move now."

Nearly every form of public transportation has been impacted by the rain, according to the New York Post, which is expected to dump more than three inches of water in some areas of the city through at least Friday morning.

Other major cities on the East Coast are also seeing heavy storms, including Baltimore, Washington, D.C., Philadelphia and parts of the state of New Jersey.

Misty Severi is a news reporter for Just The News. You can follow her on X for more coverage.