NYC flooding brought on because sewer system couldn't keep up with intense rainfall, Mayor Mamdani says
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani said Wednesday night's storm, which flooded parts of Brooklyn and Queens, was so intense the amount of rain it dropped overwhelmed the city's sewer system.
Mamdani, who toured some of the damage in Hollis on Thursday, said the drainage system is only built to handle up two inches per hour and it appears the area got a lot more than that.
Mamdani urges residents to report damage
Residents were left to deal with flooded streets and damage to their homes and cars after torrential rain and gusty winds moved through the area. Thousands lost power, trees were toppled and some streets were inundated.
City officials said some of the heaviest downpours overwhelmed the system, far exceeding the limits of what the city's sewer system was designed to handle.
Hollis residents spent Thursday cleaning up flooded basements, cars that were submerged under water, and clearing downed trees.
Mamdani directed overwhelmed residents to the website reportdamage.nyc.gov. He also claimed if residents call 311 about things like basement flooding, street flooding or sewer backup, the city would try to send help.
"What needs to happen is you gotta raise these roads, which is complicated because if you raise the roads, you have to raise the homes," Queens Borough President Donovan Richards said.
Mamdani said the city has invested millions of dollars in a 10-year plan for what are called Cloudburst projects, sites that can soak up excess water and hold it for a day or two.
Fears rise as summer -- and more storms -- loom
After speaking with local residents, the mayor said some are fearful of the summer because of the storms that typically come with it.
One woman told Mamdani she's had the same experience for 34 years.
CBS News New York spoke to a family whose cat died during Wednesday night's storm and who also experienced a very similar flood in 2021, which claimed the lives of two of their neighbors.
"I talked to mayor. He said, "Sorry for your loss,'" one woman said.
"By the time the water comes in so fast there's not enough time, so, if anything, we want to see it get fixed," another woman said.
