The United States is not ready

“If we can’t really deal with where we are, there is no hope that things will get better in a warm climate,” Dall said.

The country’s vulnerability in the face of severe weather was halted by torrential rains that engulfed the country’s largest city. New York City has invested billions of dollars in storm protection since Hurricane Sandy in 2012, investments that appear to have done little to mitigate the effects of flooding.

Rain poured in raging torrents, turning the subway system into a kind of tear-jerking ride. Central Park recorded 7.19 inches of rain, nearly double the previous record set in 1927 for the same date, according to the National Weather Service, which issued the city’s first flash flood emergency.

Before the storm, city and state officials activated preparedness plans: clearing drains, erecting storm barriers in subways and other sensitive areas, and warning the public. But the torrential downpour flooded more water, and faster than the city’s new NS stormwater maps calculated, a “dangerous” flood had occurred.

The pattern of damage reflects the relationship between climate exposure and racial inequality: the effects were most pronounced in lower-income communities of color, which due to historical disparities are more prone to flooding, receive less maintenance from city services and often experience lax. Housing law enforcement.

Most of the dead drowned in New York City as floods poured into their basement apartments. Many of these apartments do not meet security requirements, but they have become affordable housing for poor workers and illegal immigrants who may be afraid to complain to the authorities about security violations.

In one case, Tara Ramskrit, 43, and her son Nick, 22, drowned when their basement apartment in the Hollis section of Queens quickly filled with water, relatives couldn’t pull them away from the stream and a wall collapsed, causing this to happen. collapse inside.