Life-Threatening Floods Force NYC Museums to Close

A number of arts museums and cultural establishments in New York Metropolis closed or delayed their opening hours as we speak, September 29, as extreme rainfall from the leftovers of Tropical Storm Ophelia resulted in a deluge of life-threatening flash floods, numerous public transportation disruptions, widespread power outages, and roadway blockages throughout the Northeast area.

The Metropolitan Museum of Artwork in Manhattan canceled its night packages scheduled for tonight and introduced that its Fifth Avenue location will shut at 5pm “attributable to inclement climate.” In Lengthy Island Metropolis, Queens, the Noguchi Museum remained closed all day in response to excessive flooding that overwhelmed Vernon Boulevard alongside the East River, the place the humanities establishment is positioned.

“It was fairly wild this morning, however our workforce labored on clearing a number of blocked storm drains alongside our stretch of Vernon and fortunately the water has began to go down,” Amelia Grohman of the Noguchi Museum instructed Hyperallergic. The establishment skilled some gentle flooding in its basement; nevertheless, employees reported “no harm to artworks.”

By shortly after 10am, Governor Kathy Hochul declared a State of Emergency for New York Metropolis, Lengthy Island, and areas within the Hudson Valley as a result of “extreme rainfall.” At 1:45pm, the Nationwide Climate Service reported that 4 to 7 inches of rain had fallen in Kings County in Brooklyn at a precipitation charge of half an inch to at least one inch per hour.

The humanities middle Pioneer Works, based mostly in Purple Hook, Brooklyn, additionally closed its gallery house as we speak citing considerations for the security of employees and guests. Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso mentioned on X, previously generally known as Twitter, that his workplace had flood stories in at least 29 locations throughout the New York Metropolis borough.

In Manhattan, the Rubin Museum announced on-line shortly earlier than 1pm that it was canceling a cultural occasion scheduled for tonight “attributable to widespread flooding and substantial mass transit disruptions.”

Different cultural establishments that remained open as we speak additionally skilled delayed hours, together with the Guggenheim Museum and the Whitney Museum of American Artwork, each of which opened at midday as a result of torrential downpours. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority additionally reported extreme disruptions throughout prepare strains and urged commuters to remain house.