All of New York under state of emergency as Debby threatens flooding

NEW YORK — In New York, the risk of severe flooding from the remnants of Hurricane Debby led Gov. Kathy Hochul to declare a statewide state of emergency on Friday. 

Heavy rain, high wind and flooding are expected across the Tri-State Area on Friday.   

A tornado warning was briefly issued in Orange County, New York. A tornado watch for much of the area was canceled around 8 p.m.

The governor’s office cited “a growing risk of severe thunderstorms with the possibilities of tornadoes in the eastern half of the state” in the announcement. 

“With the remnants of Debby making its way across New York, I am declaring a statewide State of Emergency, and my administration stands ready to support impacted communities,” Hochul said. “State agencies have activated swift water rescue teams for impacted regions that require assistance, and it is important for New Yorkers to remain vigilant and stay off the roads.”

Click here to check the First Alert Forecast.

NYC and suburbs preparing for storm damage

New York City and its suburbs are preparing for the worst when the remnants of Hurricane Debby reach the Tri-State Area. 

As of Friday afternoon, the NYC Office of Emergency Management had over 150 reports of down trees across the five boroughs, including in Queens where a huge tree fell on a house. 

Long Island crews ready for downed trees

On Long Island, the Town of Hempstead’s road crews are on the ready as flooding concerns shift to wind worries. 

“When people say it’s not going to rain, they don’t think about the wind. Things blow around. Garbage pails blow around, furniture blows around. These branches are going to be coming down,” said Town Supervisor Don Clavin. 

PSEG said it has crews prune trees regularly for days like this. 

“We have been monitoring Tropical Storm Debby all week, making adjustments to our plans. At this time we have a full compliment of resources at the ready for anything that comes out way. In addition, we did bring in 100 mutual aide resources from outside our area in case it changes direction or things get a little bit worse,” said Larry Torres, PSEG LI’s senior director of emergency preparedness. 

Con-Ed preparing for extensive power outages

Con Edison is preparing for what could be in the New York City suburbs. 

Orange County Executive Steve Neuhaus said high winds are particularly concerning in the summer when trees are full of leaves. 

“As well as the amount of rain we have saturating the ground. Those two factors off-balance the trees and that’s why you have a lot of downed limbs and things like that,” Neuhaus said. 

Con Ed says report downed wires ASAP and always treat them as live and dangerous. 

MTA getting ready for potential flood and wind damage

The MTA has been preparing the entire system for the storm. 

“On a dry day, the MTA pumps out 13 million gallons of water out of the subway system. We’re pretty good at this, at this point. The principal issue for tonight is the threat of wind. So we’re tying down equipment throughout our system. We’ve got the bus depots. There’s a special attention making sure that there’s nothing vulnerable there. We tie down equipment at construction sites,” said MTA Chair and CEO Janno Lieber. 

Still, flooding is common concern at a handful of subway stations, including the one at 157th Street and Broadway in Washington Heights. 

“We work with the city to redirect that water away from the entrances. We sometimes raise the steps so there’s more protection against flooding. And every time there’s one of these floods, we go out and analyze it and put in a fix,” said Lieber. 

Crews will be deployed to flood-prone areas and workers have already cleared track drains and checked water pumps across the system, the MTA said. 

Empty tractor-trailers and tandem trucks are banned on MTA bridges due to the threat of heavy wind and rain. The ban is likely to remain in place until 7 a.m. Saturday.  

NYC mayor urges commuters to use mass transit

Mayor Eric Adams urged commuters to use mass transit, instead of driving during the storm. 

“We saw earlier this week, when the first storm hit our shores, we saw many vehicles were stuck on our highways and roadways. And it’s just important during this time for people to use mass transportation so that you’re not stuck, particularly in those areas where you see the flooding, those low-lying areas. So if you don’t have to be on the road, we’re asking people not to be on the road to allow the emergency crews to do what they do best, ” Adams said during an exclusive interview on CBS News New York. 

The state said at least 100 members of the National Guard are also ready to respond.     

Commuter rail delays

Service on Metro-North’s Harlem Line was suspended between Crestwood and White Plains because of downed trees Friday afternoon. There were also weather-related delays between Goldens Bridge and Brewster, the MTA said. 

Click here for MTA service alerts.

Flight delays & cancellations

All three major airports in the New York City area are dealing with delays and cancellations Friday. 

According to FlightAware, delays at LaGuardia, JFK and Newark were averaging between 30 and 60 minutes Friday afternoon. 

Hundreds of flights have been cancelled. 

Click here to check the status of a flight.

Yankees-Rangers game postponed

The Yankees didn’t waste time before postponing Friday’s game against the Texas Rangers. It will be made up during a single-admission doubleheader on Saturday.

Fans with tickets to Saturday’s regularly scheduled 1:05 p.m. game can stay for the second game. Friday’s tickets are not valid for the doubleheader, the team said.