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State of Emergency Declared in New York Following Tropical Storm Ida

State of Emergency Declared in New York City Following Tropical Storm Ida

A state of emergency has been declared in New York City in the wake of torrential rainfall and flash flooding as a consequence of Tropical Storm Ida.

In addition to New York City, New Jersey has also declared a state of emergency.

Latest reports state that at least nine people have been killed, with seven of those who died being in New York, including a two-year-old boy, according to NBC New York.

New York City mayor Bill de Blasio declared the city was “enduring an historic weather event” with “brutal flooding” and “dangerous conditions” on the roads.

“Please stay off the streets tonight and let our first responders and emergency services get their work done.”

It is estimated that in excess of 80mm of rain fell in Central Park in the space of an hour, overtaking the previous record of 49mm that was set in the wake of Tropical Storm Henri last month.

Dramatic footage has circulated over social media showing water within people’s homes and subway stations as well as roads being completely filled with water due to the tropical storm.

The National Weather Service’s New York City Twitter account stated: “This emergency was issued due to the ongoing life-threatening flash flooding.”

The New York City Police Department have encouraged people not to leave their homes and stay away from the roads with the fire department declaring that they are responding to calls from all over the city.

Many of the New York City’s transportation services have closed, including the subway, national rail services and flight’s in and out of the city have been suspended.

Severe weather conditions also saw many of matches postponed at the US Open on Wednesday, therefore delaying the competition.

The remnants of Tropical Storm Ida have been moving north across the east coast of the United States, after it hit Louisiana as a Category 4 hurricane on Sunday. Factors for this storm can be explained by different reasons, however, a warming atmosphere because of climate change is the most likely explanation as it causes an increased production of torrential rainfall.

SEE ALSO: US Troops Withdraw from Afghanistan Ending 20-Year War

 

Climate Change

12 Years to Halt Climate Change Catastrophe, Warns UN

A landmark report published on Monday by the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) warns that dramatic measures must be taken to keep global warming temperatures at a maximum of 1.5C within 12 years.

If global warming temperatures exceed just half a degree, the risk for major natural disasters such as floods, droughts and extreme heat will significantly increase. Maintaining 1.5C is essential in preventing the extinction of coral reefs, and will ease pressure on an already buckling Arctic, say researchers.

The world currently sits at 1C warmer than preindustrial levels. The IPCC sates that, with an increase in hurricanes in the Carolinas, flooding and record drought in South Africa’s Cape Town, global warming is already a very real threat. The study says that maintaining the 1.5C target will mean “rapid, far-reaching and unprecedented changes in all aspects of society.”

Debra Roberts, co-chair of the IPCC’s working group on impacts said, “It’s a line in the sand and what it says to our species is that this is the moment and we must act now.

“This is the largest clarion bell from the science community and I hope it mobilises people and dents the mood of complacency.”

The report was commissioned by policymakers at the Paris Climate talks in 2016. The Paris Climate Agreement is an important agreement between member countries of the UNFCCC to combat climate change. Since then, however, president Donald Trump has pledged to withdraw the US from the Accord while Jair Bolsonaro—presidential candidate in Brazil—has pledged to follow suit, worryingly widening the gap between politics and science.

What’s next for climate change?

If global warming temperatures reach even 2C, the IPCC suggests that the global sea level will rise by approximately four inches, potentially exposing 10 million people to the risk of flooding.

Kaisa Kosonen at Greenpeace said, “We are already in the danger zone at one degree of warming.

“Both poles are melting at an accelerated rate; ancient trees that have been there for hundreds of years are suddenly dying; and the summer we’ve just experienced—basically, the whole world was on fire.”

Member of the IPCC, professor Jim Skea, said of the urgency of combatting climate change that, “They [world governments] really need to start work immediately. The report is clear that if governments just fulfil the pledges they made in the Paris agreement for 2030, it is not good enough.”

Further reading: Climate Change Fears as Arctic temperature Rises