Tonight the biden administration moving to shift the nations focus away from afghanistan back to the issues here at home. As u. S. Officials express growing concern that far right extremists and White Supremacists are praising the taliban for toppling the u. S. Backed afghan government. Also Tonight Ida still a very powerful storm pounding the midatlantic and northeast with drenching rains, Flash Flooding and tornados. Were going to check in with our weather center. Some really, really terrible weather here in the northeast. And president Joe Biden harshly criticizing the new Texas Law banning abortion six week into pregnancy, calling it extreme and a blatant violation of the constulational right to an abortion. I want to bring in now cnn national Security Analyst Juliette kayyem. Good to see both of you. President biden is trying to move past afghanistan focusing on the crises here at homelike the aftermath of hurricane ida. Were still dealing with it. Surging covid case. Is that possible because there are a lot of questions about his handling of the withdrawal. Yes, certainly the effort from the White House and i think that comes as no surprise. This has been a challenging moment for the administration, and this is not frankly the territory they want to be playing on. I think back to them Cain Pacampaign Trail this is a very focused campaign. It was all about kroechb, the issues being faced on the home front, and frankly the white Houses Bet is thats still where the voters interests lie then theyll see those Poll Numbers grow up and thats where bidens most comfortable in his home turf. The issues facing him at home are very tricky. Its not as if theres an Infrastructure Bill that still needs big support. Theres a Filibuster Blocking a lot of his voting Rights Legislation so its not just they can switch from foreign to domestic, its just thachallenges that were just as tricky there are very tricky here, too. Juliette also weve been reporting on this White Supremacists and antigovernment extremists are praising what the taliban say they accomplished it, calling it a model for Civil War they want to see in this country. Again, that is a according to a Homeland Security Call cnn obtained. How concerning this is pretty scary. Yeah, i think leading up to the anniversary of September 11th a week from saturday, the 20th anniversary, is a moment we have to focus on both because of international Terror Threats but domestic Terror Threats. Theres going to be a Desire By Domestic Terror Groups to target a day they view as vulnerable particularly its a present they dont like. This idea the taliban sort of toppled the united states is very, very appealing to the rightwing groups. Theres a terrorist group called the three percenters. Most of us have heard of them. Canada banned them. Three percent stands for their belief, a debunked belief that only 3 of the colonists brought down the british monarchy here in the united states. Its probably 25 to 30 . So this idea of the ragtag army, the people sort of going after the establishment is something very appealing to the white Supremacist Group, and they see similarities with themselves with the taliban right now. Weve heard a lot of talk from rightwing republicans or far right republicans stoking fear about afghan refugees coming into the united states. Is the the kind of Talk Feeding into this White Supremacist narrative, this sort of i guess it is what is the great Replacement Theory or something like that . Right. That puts a more formal name on an appeal we know is widespread particularly among the conservative base, the idea there is a cultural and political loss of kind of traditional power, of folks who have really maintained that power. Feel like its being threatened, and that is the kind of grievance we see mostly white voters that has motivated donald trump. I was at a Marjory Taylor Matt gates rally a couple weeks ago and immediately after afghanistan that was the main concern from the folks there about how the influx of refugees will change the racial makeup of our country. We know our democracy does not belong to white people. We know taking in immigrants has been a historic place for america, but that is the fear among this portion of the base is that the influx of new people and the growing cultural and political power they represent is what a taking things away from white americans. They see it as a Zerosum Game of power and that is what is motivating them particularly on these issues. And sadly, with all of that said, when you look at what the studies show, what the intelligence shows, its that the possibility, julia, this could get far worse and probably will. What should officials probably be doing right now to deal with the threat from these extremist snz. Theyre not just extremists, theyre terrorists and i think were beginning to right on. Say that again. Say that again. Theyre terrorists because remember terrorism, the definition of terrorism is the use or threatened use of violence for political purposes. So everything youre hearing from members of congress about fighting and guns and all that, all of that is a form of terrorism. And so now we have a white Supremacist Group that is groups, Excuse Me, that are using the threat of violence. And so we have to treat them as terrorists, and i think it took a while for people to get their head around that. So that means deplatforming the leaders, surveillance and disruption, stopping recruitment, which is the big thing. Stop money flow, shaming shaming works, right . And we have to do all the tools because in the end foreign Terrorist Groups fail when they can neither get money or recruit new bodies. So we have to get the White Supremacists to be viewed as failures. Unfortunately, the gop, you know, lures them, tracks them in a way because of the political agenda behind it, which is of course suppressing the vote of a diverse america. Yeah, thank you very much. I appreciate it. Ive got to get you guys go a little bit sooner. We have to get to our breaking news. Have some breaking news, so thank you very much. Here we go with our breaking news. Were going to get to our meteorologist on this. But theres still ida, pedram, Wreaking Havoc moving through the northeast bringing tornados and Flash Floods right now. Im going to show some of whats going on, but, pedram, i want to get to you quickly because New Jersey is being declared a State Of Emergency right now and also new York CitySubway Services suspended on almost all lines due to weather from ida. So this is serious. Look at that. And then we have that tornado as well. Take it away, pedram. Whats going on . Don, I Cant overemphasize whats happening here over portions of of the northeast. You take a look what has played out here its nothing short of remarkable. The Rainfall Amounts are stagger. You think a former low, a former tropical depression. It really goes out with an incredible bang across this region. One of them across the new Jersey Region and i want to she this to you across western New Jersey, significant damage with this tornado to be had, and not unusual to see tornados touch down when you have a tropical system moving across because Theres Plenty of rotation in the atmosphere and that frikds in the rotation of the Storm And Terrain on the ground spawns up tornados. Weve seen trees down and Property Damage as well with this particular tornado, and that was just part of the element of what wednesday brought across the northeast. Rainfall amounts are as staggering as it gets. You see Rainfall Amounts like this in a few hours across the gulf coast. Around parts of New Jersey, portions of of pennsylvania and west virginia, these these are what we call a recurrence interval. The probability of amounts to occur in this region is a 500year rainfall. Thats why we have the emergencies. In fact, the national Weather Service in new York City for the first time in its history issuing a Flash Flood Emergency not a Flash Flood Warning but a Flash Flood Emergency, which means Water Rescues are imminent or occurring, and this is a life threatening catastrophic flooding taking place across the new York City area and parts of the northeast. Again, Rainfall Amounts as incredible as it gets, an observation here for Central Park in the last couple of hours showed a 1 Hp Hour Rainfall amount of 3. Inches and theyve been keeping records in new York City since the 19th century, and that is a 1 in a 200year probability of occurrence there. Were looking at the video of that what youre saying here, and i experienced actually on my way into work. Were on high ground, and it was there were streams of water outside of the building, incredible wind. Pedram, i want you to help me through this. Director danny, if you can put up that Tornado Video from New Jersey earlier. And then pedram can walk us through it, but all of this is happening now. Walk us through this, pedram. And a tornado in New Jersey, you know, now just incredible. When you have tropical systems, yeah. When you have tropical systems as i mentioned the rotation within these storms spawns tornados, often about 70 of tropical induced tornados are about ef0, ef1. When you put that into New Jersey and you see the damage left behind. There it is up on your screen, by The Way. The Threat Tornado Watch has been expanded until 6 00 a. M. That includes new York City, portions of of connecticut and also New Jersey. Plenty of storms into the overnight hours. Whats really dangerous about these storms, nocturnal tornados theyre about twice as likely to be fatal for obvious reasons, because people may be sleeping and theyre not able to get to parts of their house quickly enough. Theres a new Tornado Watch issued in the northeast that includes new york sity. Third Tornado Watch has been issued by the northeast by the Storm Prediction Center. The watch includes portions of of northern New Jersey, southern new york and connecticut. The watch includes new York City, and it lasts until 1 00 a. M. Eastern time, eastern daylight time. Its 11 00 now eastern daylight time, 11 00 p. M. Thats up for at least the next hour and a half or so. New York Liberty airport airtraffic control evacuated due to wind. Apparently they are back, so that is happening as well. And so were getting all of these new warnings about what is happening with you can look at the flooding there. This is bloomfield, New Jersey, that youre looking at. And the new York City subway, weve got these incredible images. Listen, the weather has to be bad and the water has to be high for new York City to flood new York CitySubway Services suspended on almost all lines due to the weather from ida. Thats according to the nta. Also on the 7 line, and this is a local suboperating with delays. So its happening all over the metropolitan area, New Jersey and all over the northeast really. Weve got some strong stuff going on. So pedram, clearly its not over when it comes to what is what ida has done and what ida has left behind. Absolutely. Thats the thing people often let up their guard when you see a system be Downgrade Today a category one, a Tropdle Storm and depression now remnant and this has origins, history of significant damage. All of that moisture has to go somewhere, and this is one of the last Land Masses its interacting with and unfortunately its going now with a significant bang across this region. Pedram, there were at least five Flash Flood emergencies issued Wednesday Evening by the national Weather Service stretch from West Philadelphia through northern New Jersey. Dozens of Water Rescues have been taking place. Again, the Governor Phil Murphy declaring a State Of Emergency right now urming residents to stay off the roads, Stay Home and stay safe, a quote from him. Again, earlier as, i was coming in, there were sheets of rain as i was watching, and then there were concerns from the drivers coming into work they wouldnt even be able to get us into work because the weather was so bad. And the Flood Warnings as well. This is really this is tough stuff. And imagine what they dealt with down south, right . Were getting just the remnants of that. But imagine what theyve dealt with in Louisiana And Mississippi and so on. So weve talked about this being a historic storm, one weve not seen as far as how slow its moving, maintaining that strength across southern louisiana for almost six hours and of course now it pushes across the northeast. The impacts are going to be far greater even if the storm doesnt have the same ferocity when it comes to winds. Water rescues are taking place because this a catastrophic flood. Flood warnings happen frequently with Storm Warnings almost every single day. The national Weather Service in new York City has never issued a Flood Emergency for that area, so it really speaks volumes whats happening there. Theres a Flash Flood Emergency in effect until 11 30, about 15 more minutes, but i dont know if thats going to be extended, pedram. It was also issued for new York City, thats the national Weather Service covering manhattan, queens, and the bronx as far north as white plains. Wed already seen up to 3. 5 inches of rain. And you talked about the rainfall in the new York City area and also in Central Park. Is this among the highest since they have been keeping record . For one hour, yes. Onehour observation was 3. 15 inches. Theyre in Central Park. That beats a record from a couple weeks ago. The Onehour Record was set with a previous tropical system that came to shore in connecticut a couple weeks ago. We brought that to 3 inches, again kind of show you 2021 coming in with Number One and number two heaviest Rain Events with a short duration there in new York City. So the atmosphere is absolutely saturated. I often talk about this when a comes to lets say looking at the climate Change Anglech and we know for every 1 degrees celsius our planet warms and our atmosphere holds about 7 more Water Vapors. When you warm the atmosphere youre able to retain more moisture and what goes up must come down and thats whats happening here across new York City. Pedram, correct me if im wrong. We expected to have some bad weather here in the northeast. Im not sure they expected this amount of rain and also to, you know, have Tornado Warnings in the northeast and actually, you know, there was a tornado. We saw the video of it in New Jersey. Yeah. We had a couple the Storm Prediction Center give us a high risk of 4 out of 4 for excessive rainfall. We knew it was going to be near the top of the charts, so that was certainly verified. And you look at the tornado threat, any time you have troptle Systems Hurricane Katrina prompted almost 60 tornados the one that made landfall. This one had about 12 i believe as they moved to shore, but you see half of that number with many more hours left tonight but its going be a dangerous go here. Yeah, youre right. If youre just tuning in, listen, were following some Break News here on cnn. Incredible weather happening in the northeast, as a matter of Fact Right where we are now broadcasting from new York City. If you look on your screen now youre seeing these images are coming from pennsylvania. Its not over yet. Rain is still coming down. Theres Flash Flood emergencies including newark, New Jersey right now the governor declaring a State Of Emergency, Phil Murphy telling people, urging residents to stay off the roads, Stay Home and stay safe. It is very dangerous out there right now, and of course this is one of the most populated areas and densely populated areas i should say in the united states. And so, you know, many more people many more people in the path of this incredible storm. The remnants or the last of ida before it goes out to sea into the atlantic as it moves further east further northeast. Im here with our meteorologist and hes covering it for us. Pedram, how much longer do you expect the northeast to be dealing with these incredibly dangerous Weather Situations . Its going to continue through at least around sunrise. I was looking at the models just before coming onair with you, and The System does push out as we get into 7 00, 8 00, 9 00 a. M. , so much of the northeast is going to be under impacts for now into the next couple of hours and continues up through boston and a portion of New England before its all said and done. Really important to highlight this, when it comes to these Heavy Rain events in a major and metro area and much of this area as you noted there with the highest populations in the country, the urban landscape, its all concrete. And Heavy Rainfall when it hits the ground in an environment the studies have shown 50 of what hits the ground becomes runoff. 90 is absorbed. This is going to have a much different impact than the amount of Rain Youd see elsewhere in the country because of how populated it is and how much concrete there is to be had when rainfalls on the ground. Flooding in new York City. The bad weather suspending Subway Service on all lines due to the weather from ida. And there is a new Tornado Watch for the northeast, which includes new York City. Were on top of the breaking weather situation. Well be right back. Ayy, ayy, ayy yeah, we fancy like applebees on a Date Night got that Bourbon Street Steak with the Oreo Shake get some whipped cream on the top too two straws, one check, girl, i got you bougie like natty in the Styrofoam Squeaksqueakin in the Truck Bed all The Way home some alabamajamma, she my dixieland delight ayy, thats how we do, how we do, fancy like, oh its time for the biggest sale of the year, on the new Sleep Number360 smart bed. 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Listen, were going to stay on the air for you until at least 1 00 a. M. So im just getting the information. So a lot of it im seeing just as you are, so im going to walk you through. This is in Mullika Hill in New Jersey captured by bob thomas. Later were going to get you some images i believe there are still of the aftermath of this tornado going through New Jersey earlier. We also have shots of our Subway System here in new York City inundated with water, flooding there you can see it. The entire Subway Service all over the city of new York City suspended because of the weather from ida which includes obviously rain flooding. Look at that. See at the very back of that, look how that water is just pouring into the new York City subway. So the entire new York CitySubway System out of commission right now. And then there are other trains that feed into new York City, the 7 train, staten Island Railway and all of that, theyre on delays. The mta checking it out. In New Jersey the Governor Phil Murphy is urging residents stay off the roads, Stay Home and stay safe. Look at all of the flood waters. This is tonight in the northeast. This is bloomfield, New Jersey. And if you look at this you can see why the governor of New Jersey has declared a State Of Emergency. There have been at least five Flash Flood emergencies issued Wednesday Evening by the national Weather Service stretching all way just west of philadelphia through northern New Jersey. Dozens of Water Rescues happening, taking place and numerous roads have been closed. So well get the images up as we get them. The latest Flash Flood Emergency included newark which is New Jerseys largest city. Youre looking at that, images from newark, New Jersey, right now. These are the Rainfall Estimates for parts of Eastern Pennsylvania and New Jersey. Range from 4 to 8 inches of water with some isolated locations approaching 10 inches. Some parts saw 3 to 4 inches of rain an hour throughout wednesday. Weve been speaking to our Meteorologist Pedram Javaheri whos been telling us about the rainfall, the onehour Rainfall Totals in new York City, which is measured usually in Central Park. The highest since they started keeping record. Lets go to our meteorologist now, pedram, to give us some perspective on whats going on. Listen, this Tornado Watch in the northeast which includes new York City to 1 00 a. M. , im not sure theyre going to extend it, but this is some really bad stuff. It is, yeah. When were talking about tornados in this region, i pulled up the latest number on that. New jersey gets one tornado per average each year. This would be number 11. Then you notice weve had reports of at least four other tornados across maryland, and this is the setup here through tonight, so we do expect some additional tornados just with the rotation of what is left of ida. Often when you have tropical systems or even the remnants of tropical systems theyre still rotating pretty well through the atmosphere, so that creates the friction needed to spawn tornados. Usually they stay on the smaller side. Id say ef1, ef2 at the latest when it comes to tropical tornados. Of course people will be in bed and potentially caught offguard and that makes it that much more dangerous. The Rainfall Amounts is really most staggering to me. You noted the 3. 15 inches in one hour that just came down in Central Park. Theyve been keeping records since the 1800s in Central Park for weather observations almost every single day and never have we seen a Onehour Observation pushed to that value, and the national Weather Service issuing a Flash Flood Emergency. And that differs from a warning, warnings meaning floods are imminent recurring. Flash flood emergencies meaning Water Rescues are taking place and catastrophic flooding occurring. This is another level above that as far as the severity whats happening there in the northeast. I want to get to cnns Brian Stelter joining us this evening from New Jersey. Brian, Water Rescues, State Of Emergency issued by the governor. Stay home, stay safe and definitely stay off the roads he is saying. What are you seeing where you are . Yeah, a big change from just two hours ago when these counties were experiencing, you know, moderate rain, the typical summer rains that people are used to. As youve been hearing the Difference Tonight is the torrential downpours that are overwhelming local and county systems, so weve heard about rescues in Mercer And Middlesex and closer to new york, around new york airport. Up through trenton, up to new york and now into connecticut were talking about some of the most populated areas in the united states. It is incredible that ida started in new orleans, started in grand aisle and louisiana, did so much damage there and is now doing so much damage 1,000 miles north on the coast of new york and into connecticut. And as you mentioned those Flash Flood emergencies are incredibly unusual. My phone has been going on every 30 minutes with new versions of these warnings for people. And it is largely around rivers and streams and lowlying areas, but, you know, youve got an environment here where theres 6 inches of rain that have fallen in my home in northern New Jersey, and an environment that is simply not able to keep up with that kind of moisture. You know, youre going to hear a lot about Climate Change in the hours to come, and we should because this is a Climate Change story. Hey, brian but in the short term its also a story trying to evacuate people in flood waters. Brian, youve said youve been in northern New Jersey off and on. Has it become steady or youve become inundated here in new y york. I looked out of the window, the building i live in sheets and sheets of rain just coming down. And when i got out of the building rivers got to cnn, rivers just, you know, of water just flowing through The Streets of new York City. Reporter and thats the point when the infrastructure Cannot Take it anymore. Its that initial burst of energy that i experienced here, that you experienced at Hudson Yards that The SystemCannot Take. And thats why the new York City subways are now suspended, and thats why there are so many cars under water in newark, New Jersey standby, brian. I want to alert people to what theyre seeing on the screen. Is this new York City were look at, guys . This is New Jersey. So look, a lot of these images coming in. Brian, i dont mean to be rude but i want to make sure viewers know what were talking about. Standby, because this is from the may of new York City. Just coming across the mayor says and i quote here. Im declaring a State Of Emergency in new York City tonight. Were enduring a historic Weather Event Tonight with record breaking rain across new York City, brutal flooding and dangerous conditions on our roads. Please stay off the Streets Tonight and let our first responders and Emergency Services get their work done. If youre thinking of going outside, dont. Stay off the subways. Stay off the roads. Dont drive into these heavy waters. Stay inside. Were keeping our eye on the power grid. Weve seen about 5,300 customers without power. We expect the rain to stop in the next few hours, but until then, again, if youre not inside get inside. So as i was reading this i didnt see the images. Is this new York City were looking at right now . This is the new York City bus. The water thats coming in that was the bus not the subway, correct . All right. This is what people look at the roads in new York City. This is what people are driving through if theyre out on the roads now. This is what folks are experiencing on new York City buses. Mass transportation at a standstill really here in new York City especially on the roads. But i should say especially in the Subway System where the entire Subway System is shutdown now, suspended. Subway service suspended in new York City, and now the mayor of new york has declared a State Of Emergency because of the damage that ida is doing to the city right now in the metropolitan area. If you look at the back of your screen there all The Way at the back you can see that water pouring into the Subway System. To the left there where you see those columns, thats where the trains usually are. And if you look hard enough you can see that that entire area is flooded, almost like a Swimming Pool on the tracks of the new York CitySubway System. And there are Feeder Railways that go in and out of the city also having issues. Look, Jefferson Street subway. Look at the water pouring into the Subway System. And you see the subway on the other side still rolling, and now this one coming in. And now they have suspended Subway Service in new York City. What a mess. Youre looking at Queens Boulevard in queens, new york, one of the boroughs of new York City. And im just going to keep going through this video as we get it. Look at that. Does that look like a City Street to you . It looks more like a river. Queens boulevard that were looking at. Ida as you see on your screen inundating parts of new York City. This is harlem that were looking at now, again, new video coming in at every moment from new York City. What were look at now still harlem. And it is what a wild scene. And the mayor is right. If you dont have to be out in this you should not be. And im sure this snuck up on a lot of people. Now images from New Jersey coming in. And Brian Stelter joins us now. Brian, youre in northern New Jersey and as we look at this, it is flowing. This water is just flowing down the stream down the road here in a stream. It is unbelievable to witness. Reporter and the same i hope you didnt hear the thunder but the same State Of Emergency you described in new york has also been declared by New JerseyGovernor Phil Murphy saying well use whatever resource at our disposal to ensure peoples safety. You know, what happened earlier this evening, don, closer to philadelphia severe thunderstorms and tornados ripping across southern New Jersey. That was an early indication of what the storm was capable of as it moved into the northeast. There are certainly lots of viewers in other parts of the u. S. That think, you know, whats the big deal with some Flash Flooding . The difference i think in new York City is the city is not built for this, and it is so shocking as mayor De Blasio said, stunning to see this kind of flooding happening so quickly. It happens in part because, you know, its something that saturates The System, the Subway System, other infrastructure there. And were seeing the same thing in connecticut, New Jersey, in parts of pennsylvania. Flash Flood Emergency is a very rare term that the national Weather Service uses, but at one Point Tonight18 Million people were under a Flash Flood Emergency. Thats a term only used for life threatening situations. We know there are cars and folks stranded, evacuations happening in many counties in New Jersey, pennsylvania and up toward new york. And also those rescue. And when it gets to a situation like this no doubt, undoubtedly, brian, there are going to be rescues going to happen because this is catching many people offguard. As you say the metropolitan area really not built for this. It doesnt get this kind of weather very often, but when it does happen, man oh, man does the metropolitan area take a beating. Reporter the most remarkable Data Point we have is from Central Park. Im sure you mentioned it earlier. To have a record hourly rainfall when you were at the concert in Central Park, and now to have that record smashed a week and a half later, this is really history making weather thats happening right now. Lets go to our meteorologist. Brian, i want you to standby. Were trying to get our other correspondents up and about around new York City, New Jersey, Pennsylvania Area to try to bring you some of the live coverage from there. Our Meteorologist Pedram Javaheri joins us now. Pedram, youre able to see these images coming in. Look at this. This is Queens Boulevard in queens, new york. Brian stelter is right on. This city is not built for this situation. When you get weather like this, rain, People Cant get around. We depend very heavily on our Mass Transportation system, and that is basically shutdown right now. We had tropical storm henri, too, kind of meander across areas oof the northeast. Thats what brought in the previous Record Rainfall which again hadnt been seen since the 1800s, and we break that by an additional here in the last couple of hours. 5. 3 inches has come down in Central Park in the past three hours. Go to spokane, washington, theyve picked up 5 inches since january 1st. This happens in three hours in new york sit, of course a different Population Density and thats going to lead to significantly greater impacts, and that is exactly whats playing out here. Brian really made a great point when it comes to the impacts of Climate Change and these events are happening more frequently. We have upwards of 7 million. But when it comes to our temperatures on our planet warming up and they warm to an average about 1 degree celsius, what has been observed across the world, the Moisture Content and the atmospheric Water Vapor is increased as a result. Almost 10 Increase And Rain events become heavier, and so many studies have been done on this looking at where this happens. And guess where the highest likely area to see Heavy Rain events take place as a result of our warming of our planet is, and its right there on the northeast. 71 increase from a study that looked at 1958 through 2012 for increased Heavy Rain events. And that puts the highest Likelihood Scenario right there in the northeast. Look at that water pouring into the new York CitySubway System. I have another warning coming in from New Jersey, pedram. The mayor there saying warning residents to stay off The Streets as flooding associated with this posttropical Cyclone Ida begins to fill the roads leaving some motorests stranded, he said. This is a quote from him. The mayor says we have vehicles stuck in The Street. Water has risen so high that we have 4 to 5 vehicles stuck in the middle of The Street saying Emergency Vehicles are also getting stuck in the rising water. Weve also had people get stuck. Weve had Fire Trucks stuck. We have had ambulances stuck. Weve had people that are still stuck that are not getting out of the water, and that is a quote from the Deputy Chief lewis genteel, and you can theres a video of all of that. Where are we looking at now, guys . That was queens. This is what the national Weather Service tweeted just now. We are seeing way too many reports of Water Rescues and stranded motorists. Do not drive through flooded roadways. You do not know how deep the water is, and it is too dangerous. Turn around. Dont drown. So that is from the national Weather Service in new York City. This is what youre looking at. The grand Central Parkway in queens now. And this is water many of these cars or vehicles are going to get stuck because theyre going to flood out. And so traffic at a standstill, water up to the door, probably going inside of some of those vehicles. And this is whats happening all over the northeast at this moment. Our Meteorologist Pedram said much of this was predicted but not the amount of water that were getting. This is what were looking at in pennsylvania now. North hampton, pennsylvania na North Hampton county, i should say, pennsylvania, this is why theyre telling you do not try to drive through this. Turn around, dont drown. I want to get now to cnns Shimon Prokupecz whos joining us now. Shimon, were looking at these images of this water just rushing into the new York CitySubway System. I know youre out and about covering this because that is your job, but talk to us about what youre seeing and whats going on. Don, right now im actually at the 59th Street, the Columbus Circle station, and there are just trains just parked here at the station for quite some time. One of the things obviously thats happening is that the subways are flooded. Water has seeped through every which way you can imagine into the Subway System. And all that is now flooded. Just to think about this that almost all of the subways in new York City which is the lifeline of this city are now shutdown. Theyre not running. The mayor i was listening to earlier he said there were people actually stuck on trains and they were getting some of them out, people stuck in between tunnels because trains are just parked at stations, so they cant move the trains through. So right now all of the subways are shutdown, and people are just sitting on the trains, you know, trying to get home from work. Most of the people that are on the subways at this point are coming from work. And this sort of way the mayor has described this what we have seen is The Way that storms hit new york, it just came sudden, it came fast. And its very clear that the city was not prepared for this, that they certainly were not expecting it to come as fast as it did. The nypd and the Fire Department have probably at this point responded to hundreds of 911 calls from people asking to be rescued from their cars. As you can see from the pictures youve been showing all across different roads and really all of the five boroughs of this city people have been stuck in their cars as water just came rushing in and rising very quickly. And this has been probably what the nypd has been dealing with. And again, just seeing at this point at least and certainly from the mayor that the city was not expecting this to happen as quickly as it did. And its really unprecedented when you thing about, you know, Meet Meteorologists in this city are all saying this is such a historic event, to see this amount of rain come down across the city as heavy as it was at time, and right now thats what theyre dealing with. Theyre dealing with heavy, heavy flooding and Heavy Rain that continues i want you to standby. I want to get to the governor of new york now. Governor Kathy Hochul joins us on the line. Thank you very much. I appreciate you joining us. Listen, weve got the mayor of new York City declaring a State Of Emergency. Weve got the governor of New Jersey declaring a State Of Emergency. So, governor, what are you hearing about the conditions, and give us your perspective on this, please . Theyre rather devastating and i spoke with mayor De Blasio within the last hour, and i also spoke with our commissioners in charge of our response. We literally deployed assets starting this morning in anticipation of this, but this is far more than anyone really expected, so were dealing with a situation where its not safe for people to be out, Number One. Our Subway System has effectively shutdown. Every line is either limited or suspended due to the excess of water, so we want people to stay away from there. They should check a website its new mta. Com to find out when the service will be restored. We Cant Guarantee its going to be up and running by Tomorrow Morning say again, guv nshovernor, w the Web Site . Newmta. Com. They should check that for Service And Service restoration. Were ready with our swift Water Rescue teams to be deployed where necessary. We have Tree Crews on the ground and be able to address situations where wires are coming down. We have about 31,000 people without power right now primarily Long Island maybe about 5,000 in new York City. So its you know, its spreading and its hitting the Lower Hudson area, westchester, rockland county, putnam county. So its a widespread storm, and the flooding is just extraordinary. And i just governor, its unbelievable. I dont know if youre near a television but to look at these image were seeing really all over the northeast but especially in new York City when you see the flooding into the subway, and you see The Streets. I mean, i know its a cliche, but they look like rivers. I think that the governor Excuse Me the mayor of a town in New Jersey saying, look, we have had many Water Rescue. You know, the national Weather Service saying dont drown, turn around in this weather. If people are out and about or theyre thinking about it, dont do it. Dont do it not at this point. Absolutely not. Youre so correct because youre literally taking your life in your hands. We cannot guarantee theres going to be someone to rescue you or if youre in your vehicle that starts floating away like a boat down a river. And weve seen that in or parts of the country. Its starting to hit our area. The intensity of the storms are starting to grow and we have people who are citizens who realize there are a lot of first responders out there putting their lives on the line to help people and just make their lives easier by staying home tonight. This is not a night to be out and taking pictures and sharing them on Social Media. On Social Media i see a lot of pictures. Its dangerous. Were urging everyone to Stay Home. If youre just joining us the governor of new york is on right now, Kathy Hochul, telling us all about the assets they have out. They have swift Water Rescue teams out there, 31,000 people without power in new york and the metropolitan area mostly on Long Island. ,000 without power here in new York City. The live pictures youre looking at are from broadway and 149th street, Excuse Me, uptown new York City. And i want to get back to the governor now. Governor, this was predicted. But with this much water i dont know if you can predict what its going to do. We are definitely being inundated right now. Its going to be a long night. And youre going to be watching to make sure we keep power and the folks without power, that they can get it back as soon as possible. That is so correct. Weve engaged our utilities. First of all, we were actually preparing for the hurricane henri, you know, two weeks ago so we were already having the assets in place. So were not inexperienced with this, but it is always quite shocking when you see The Streets of new york looking like the rivers flowing and people in shock of whats going on especially the images of whats happening in the subways. So these are dangerous situations and want to make sure people stay away from them. We can take all the precautions in advance, and we did deploy our assets to be on the ground in anticipation, but Mother Nature will do as she wants, and she is really angry tonight. We have to be prepared to cleanup tomorrow. Ill be on site in the morning to make sure this is going well, but right now were in a dire situation. I do want to give you the Mta Number one more time. New. Mta. Info. New. Mta. Info, so scratch what i said earlier. And the governor has declared a State Of Emergency. Are you leaving up to the local folk, the mayors and the folks on the ground to declare whether or not its an emergency . Is new York State not effective enough for you to declare an emergency in the state . I will be declaring an emergency the second its necessary. And i think were on that footage right now. I think thats going to happen, but i just have to get well be looking for fema reimbursements and there are certain thresholds we have to hit to achieve that. I have done this for many, many years. I have from buffalo. I dealt with 7 feet of Snow Storms and everything in between. So i know the process involved but id be very surprised if we didnt declare a State Of Emergency, very, very shortly. Yeah. Well, if you buffalo, you know snow then, if you hail from from buffalo, governor. Governor, again, the the the mayor says that we have a tough few hours coming up. That is what mayor De Blasio and i am sure you will concur. Yes, we do. Again, we look at images all over the country. Look at what happened in Louisiana And Mississippi. And you feel you know, you feel sorry for people in that situation. Say, well, at least thats not happening here. And within 24 hours, were being battered in a very similar fashion. So, there was a lot of anxiety out there. Theres Tornado Warnings and Theres Rain coming down. So new yorkers are very concerned tonight. And theyre theyre scared. There is a lot of people. And so, i would also urge people to be calling your neighbors. Calling senior citizens. If you are in an area where the power is out, check on somebody to make sure theyre not someone who is needing medical attention. So, this is a time when new yorkers always rise to the occasion. They have shown, time and time and time, again, that they will be you know, put others first. Theyll be there to help Each Other and thats what i am calling on them to do. Take care of yourselves but also look out for Each Other. Yeah. Well, mayor, i want you to stick close to the phone and listen we know youre busy and if you can pick up our call and get back on the air. Governor, Excuse Me. I was just talking about the mayor of new York City but governor, thank you. I appreciate you giving us the number. New. Mta. Info if you want to get information on Mass Transportation. People who may be stuck. Um, governor, thank you. If you are still there. I appreciate it. Thank you. Thank you very much. Thank you very much. And so, the governor gave that information. She says she is going to check. There are certain parameters that have to be met in order to declare a State Of Emergency for the entire state. Um, the Subway System, as you can see, is inundated so she is giving you that information if you want to get there. Is shimon still there . Or is he gone . Do we still have shimon . Don. Shimon, i wanted to ask you i wanted to ask you because the governor gave the information about checking on Mass Transportation. You said you were there at 59th Street at the Columbus Circle and that trains were just waiting there. Are people taking shelter in those Subway Stations . Are people stranded . What are you seeing . Yeah. People are stranded. It appears that most people are coming from work. And so, most of them are just trying to find a way to get home. Some are just sitting, patiently, on the Subways Car the subway cars hoping the Train Moves at some point. And then, upstairs outside the station, there are people lingering. Trying to figure out how they are going to get home. I mean, its so significant when the subway just completely shuts down across the city. I mean, almost every Subway Line is shut down. And that is so, so significant for this city. And usually, when you get flooding, okay, maybe one station, two stations. And so, maybe one or two lines would be affected but the fact that every line, at this point, is affected is just unprecedented. And for people to get home tonight, its going to be a big problem because ubers because of the price surging. There are some buses that are running. So i saw people running to the buses to try and jump on those. So, its going to be a big challenge for the city, for the Mta Tonight to get these people home. Who are now just stranded in the subways, at this point, don. Yeah, hey, shimon, stand by. What are we looking at now . Where are these images . This is in brooklyn that we are looking at images now coming in, shimon. Um, by The Way, the governor of New Jersey just tweeting moments ago, 81,000 people without power in the state of New Jersey. We just had the governor of new york on the phone. Kathy hochul. Saying that there are swift Water Rescue units out there. She said that they have deployed assets on the ground. That they were prepared preparing for this when they got the news about ida and the potential of that storm. There is that tweet from the governor of of New JerseyNew Jersey, Phil Murphy. 81,740 Power Outages have been reported. Um, now you are looking at images on your screen now. This is brooklyn. I am told nflooding so much, water coming up through the toilets. And as we look at more images coming in from the new york metropolitan area. This is a street, believe it or not, in New Jersey. A neighborhood that you see there on your screen. And now, we move on to this is new York City that were looking at now . This is no, newark, New Jersey. Newark, New Jersey. Pardon me, im getting cues from my producers because they are putting these images up. And im seeing them for the first time. So im just going to go through them as we get all of these this new video and pictures coming into cnn. This is what is happening all over the northeast. But what is important is that there are states of emergency happening all over bridgeport, connecticut, you are looking at right now. And there you go. You are hearing the honking out on the interstates. And that car up to its windows in floodwaters. And that is why they are telling you do not drive through those floodwaters, even though people do. This is brooklyn, new york, and you have cars in brooklyn, new york, that are literally creating wakes that are flowing into peoples homes right now. The future mayor of new York City, eric adams, joins us now. Um, Mayor Elect Mayor nominee, Excuse Me mayor nominee. Lets not get ahead of ourselves. Thank you for joining us. Given me your assessment of the situation. Talk to me. Thank you. Thank you, don. Its good being on with you and, you know, i am out here in The Streets now. Just really monitoring just the impact of this storm. And, you know, for the first time in my life, don, Living In The City that i saw the Brooklyn Bridge flooded on the ramp which i had to assist some of the motorists. But everything from our Train Stations to parts of crown heights, youre seeing a high level of water, flooding of cars. Even really outside the Water Line areas. So its a real concern that were experiencing during this storm. So, um, you know, mr. Adams, it its its unbelievable that well, let me let me back up here because we predicted bad weather. They had predicted bad weather in the northeast and that new York City was going to get some of it. We had the governor on just moments ago saying talking about the assets that they have deployed. But really, as she said and i think youll agree, Mother Natures going to do what its going to do. You can do all the predicting in the world but until it gets here, thats the only time that youll anyway exactly what is happening. And right now, we are being inundated. So true. Listen. Thats why we call it Mother Nature. Because this is still our planet and although we destroyed it by so many things that we have done, its real that global warming is here. Our role is to be able to respond to those emergencies so that people are not trapped in their homes or trapped in their vehicles. Or that we get Emergency Services where they are needed and i believe thats what the police what they are doing now. And the governor was also right in stating that its time for us to be good neighbors. We need to look after those who are on the block, and be there for them, as well. We all have to chip in to get through this. Yeah. Well, democratic nominee for mayor for new York City. Eric adams, thank you. You be safe as well. Appreciate you calling in. Have a lot going in my ear. Listen. I want to apologize. I called him mayor elect. That was my mistake because i just have a lot going on now. Democratic nominee for mayor in new York City, eric adams, joining us. The governor of new york, now, i would imagine is trying to figure out whether there is going to be a State Of Emergency called for new York State. She said there were certain parameters that they have to meet but she would be surprised if that did not happen so we are awaiting word from the governor of new york. Also, Giving Out Information On folks who may be stuck. Stuck. Who were trying to get home. Um, i want to get to one of those people stuck now. Um, tell me where marian dufrance. Mariette in New Jersey. Thank you so much for joining us. I hope youre stuck in New Jersey . What happened . Um well, i was out with a friend and we were just in got stuck in the middle of the storm. And like, around the Clifton Area and we drove around for like over an hour trying to get anywhere towards My House in bloomfield. And then, i got pictures of My House from my family. Its completely flooded. The entire basement. The cars are filled up with water to the top. Everythings, like, completely destroyed in the first floor of My House. Its its really crazy. Yeah. And again, which which part of jersey are you in now . Right now, im in clifton but i live in bloomfield. And so, you are trying to get home. What were the road s like . You were driving, right . It was superscary, yeah. I mean, really insane out there. I have a car so i was really scared that i was going to get stuck in the middle of it. Like, it was insane to be out there in the middle of that. Yeah. Um, what are tell us how folks are reacting out there. Did this come up on you, all of the sudden . Is were you surprised . Yeah, i didnt expect this to be like this crazy, for sure. I thought it was going to be just like it was looking heavy. And then we ended up parking under a bridge for like an hour hoping we could just get through it but it just kept raining and raining and getting worse and worse. And i just never made it home. Yeah. Are are others stuck . Are you hearing from folks . Um, there was a lot of people here, in the lobby, that were telling me stories about how they were just like at school or at work and just completely stuck. And just came here for, like, refuge. Like i came into the hotel and there was so many people in here. And i just didnt know if i was going to get a room