New York City warned ‘climate change is here’ as storm floods streets and subway

Commuters forced to wade through filthy water

Mayoral favourite Eric Adams says: This cannot be New York'

Commuters having to wade through waist-deep water on subway concourses, rain cascading directly onto train platforms, desperate motorists rescued by police from their inundated cars - the battering New York City has taken from tropical storm Elsa has raised questions as to how well the metropolis is prepared for the ravages of the climate crisis.

Elsa had already hit areas of Florida and Georgia, causing at least one death, before shifting north, where it unleashed a barrage of thunderstorms on Thursday. The storm is now expected to move towards the Boston area, with about 40 million people from New Jersey to Maine issued flash flooding warnings.