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We have more below. But first, we look at recent flooding — and explain what you can do to stay safe.
The torrent
The rainwater flowed into my central New Jersey home on Monday night, carving rivulets across my floor that grew into streams and then ponds. My sump pump was quickly overmatched; so was my wet vac. A second pump, which I hoped would drain pooling water through a window, shot a geyser of brown basement liquid into my face. My battle against the elements left me with a sore back and a cellar full of sopping mementos, musical instruments and holiday decorations. But I got off easy. The flash floods did far more damage just a few towns over. There, roads became rivers. Two people died when fast-rising waters carried their car into a stream. “Water has killed more people in my time as governor than any other sort of weather event,” Gov. Phil Murphy, a Democrat, lamented yesterday. He blamed climate change. Many factors influence the weather, and scientists don’t like to say that climate change caused this specific storm or that one. But researchers know that climate change is causing heavier rainfall in many storms — the warmer the atmosphere gets, the more moisture it can hold and release. Extreme rainstorms have become more common around the world. The last month has brought a rush of the resulting floods. Over a single week, the water surged in New Mexico, Illinois, North Carolina and Texas, where the deluge killed more than 130 people. Are you safe?Flash floods are the hardest disasters to prevent. What should you know about your neighborhood’s flood risk? Claire Brown, who covers the climate, talked to experts about why you may be at more risk than you think, what you can do about it and how local governments are adapting. FEMA’s flood maps. The agency publishes maps that inform zoning regulations and building standards. They also affect which homeowners have to buy flood insurance. (Search for your address here.) But experts worry that these maps underestimate the risk of sudden and intense storms that lead to the rapid rise of rivers — such as the one that inundated Camp Mystic in Texas this month. By one estimate, more than twice as many properties are prone to once-in-a-century floods as FEMA maps suggest. As many as 440,000 homes across the country may be underinsured for flood risk. Where else to look. The government frequently updates maps of current and past floods and runs a water prediction service. The National Weather Service is refining a tool to visualize floods at street level. Real estate websites like Zillow, Redfin and Realtor.com also use models from an independent research firm to share flood-risk data on listings. States adapt. Many are bolstering their warning systems and building infrastructure. New York City, for example, is building a 2.4-mile system of flood walls and floodgates designed to protect the East Side of Manhattan. After thousands of Vermont residents lost homes and businesses in a 2023 flood, the state is improving its alert system and may require homeowners to disclose past flood damage when they sell property. It’s also buying homes in floodplains and turning them into parkland. More coverage
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The Times recently invited readers to send questions about Zohran Mamdani’s decisive win in New York City’s Democratic mayoral primary. We’ve highlighted one below; you can find many more here, about both local and national issues. How does Mamdani’s race and subsequent win reflect the overall picture of politics — especially the identity of the Democratic Party — going into November and beyond? Samantha Kaplan, Annapolis, Md. Lisa Lerer, a national political correspondent, explains: There’s a long and storied history of overinterpreting New York elections as barometers of the national mood. Just ask Eric Adams, who once heralded himself as the Biden of Brooklyn, or ask Bill de Blasio about his very brief presidential campaign. As one prominent Democrat put it to me recently, the party should spend more time thinking about the Upper Peninsula of Michigan than the Upper West Side. The most competitive midterm races will largely take place in more moderate areas of the country. So I would not expect many Democratic candidates to embrace democratic socialist positions. More likely is that candidates will try to emulate Mamdani’s effective use of social media, and perhaps his intense focus on affordability, an issue that resonates everywhere. As I wrote last month, there are some early signs that Mamdani’s win could inspire some younger Democrats to challenge older incumbents in primaries. It comes as many voters are desperate for generational change after watching their leaders dismiss their concerns about Joe Biden’s age. We plan to continue answering questions in the New York Today newsletter until the election in November. Submit your own here, and sign up here to get that newsletter delivered to your inbox. For more
Public media is a public service. To abandon it would take away nonpartisan local news that the private sector can’t provide, the Editorial Board writes. Here’s a column by Bret Stephens on Mamdani. Everything The Times offers. All in one subscription. Morning readers: Save on unlimited access to The Times with this introductory offer.
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