Woman killed as floods hit New York

Torrential rain blamed for at least one death flooded subways and railway lines and delayed flights at New York’s three major airports today.

Thousands of commuters were stranded for two hours or more during the morning rush hour.

Wind and heavy rain knocked trees down on to cars and streets, caused scattered power cuts and left businesses struggling with shortages of workers.

Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly said officers had to use crowd-control tactics to keep the peace.

A woman who became stuck in an underpass was killed when her car was struck by another vehicle, New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg said.

He said buildings were damaged in parts of Brooklyn, including a roof ripped off a church.

“I don’t know that God had rush hour in mind when the storms hit,” Bloomberg said at news conference in a Brooklyn neighbourhood where the National Weather Service was trying to decide whether a tornado had struck.

All subway lines in New York experienced delays or diversions, and some rail routes to Grand Central Terminal and from New Jersey into Manhattan were shut down for more than an hour.

Elsewhere, 4in of rain fell in an hour in parts of Nebraska. The Big Blue River in Surprise, 70 miles west of Omaha, burst its banks and fish were swimming on the water flowing on state Highway 12.

More flood warnings were issued today for northern Illinois, where flooding yesterday forced the evacuation of dozens of homes. The water-logged region has already been declared a disaster area.

But the rain storms brought no relief from heat and humidity.

The heat index, based on a combination of temperature and humidity, was expected to reach 104-110F (40-43C) in parts of Kansas today, forecasters said. In New York’s crowded streets, the index was expected to top 100f (38C).