NYC's Much-Derided Ophelia Flooding Response Faces Probe

NEW YORK CITY — New York City's confused, seemingly flat-footed and much-derided response to last week's massive flooding from remnants of Tropical Storm Ophelia faces a high-profile probe.

Comptroller Brad Lander announced Thursday that he'll launch an investigation in the city's ability to handle extreme rainfall.

Record-breaking rainfall Sept. 29 shut down subways, sent school children scrambling and resulted in 18 rescues of people from floodwaters, officials said. Lander said thankfully no New Yorkers perished in the floods like they did in 2021's Hurricane Ida.

"But they could have," he said.

Mayor Eric Adams, who faced a wave of criticism for being conspicuously absent from the public eye for hours as the city flooded, offered Lander's probe a nod of support.

He said there's "always more work" to ensure New Yorkers' safety

"We look forward to working with the comptroller on a fair, thorough, and balanced review to ensure our city is equipped as these storms become increasingly frequent and severe," he said in a statement.

The probe by Lander's office will look into recent commitments by both Adams' and former Mayor Bill de Blasio's administrations to prepare for extreme weather events that experts say are increasing more likely because of climate change.

"The goal is simple: to learn from the impact of and the response to Tropical Storm Ophelia so that we can more effectively prepare for and respond to future extreme rainfall events," Lander said.

Read a letter from Lander to Adams about the investigation.