'Where are we going to go?': Flooding forces Queens family out of home of 34 years

Today's newsletter is curated by James Ramsay

Weather: ⛈️ Mostly cloudy this morning, with possible showers and thunderstorms later and highs in the mid 80s.

It's Tuesday in New York City, where it's extremely stressful every time it rains on Anita Hack's block in Hollis.

Five years ago, two tenants drowned in a basement apartment across from Hack's house during Hurricane Ida. And just last month, the city ordered her own century-old home to be demolished after flooding damaged a foundation wall.

Hack said she'd already filled out the requisite forms for a city buyout program before the latest flood destroyed her house, but she hadn't heard anything back. Now, she fears the city may only offer the price of a soggy lot, if they purchase the property at all.

Here's what these increasingly frequent and severe storms mean for the thousands of people living in — and still moving into — flood-prone parts of the city.

And here's what else is happening:

• The NYPD said officers fatally shot a woman yesterday after she stabbed two people at random in Times Square, killing one, before advancing toward police with two knives.
• Year-round outdoor dining is officially back after Mayor Zohran Mamdani signed a bill loosening restrictions for roadside dining sheds.
• Mayor Mamdani is promising to expedite missing payments to city day cares before the first day of school — and the start of his highly anticipated free 2-K program.
  • In the meantime, this comparatively late start to the school year is causing headaches for parents who are scrambling for childcare between now and Sep. 10.
• Eleven days before the 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks, the NYPD yesterday promoted to sergeant a detective whose father was killed at the World Trade Center.
• The MTA said its OMNY system is back up and running after commuters yesterday were temporarily unable to refill their physical OMNY cards.
• Is TikTok the new 311? Mayor Mamdani's responses to posts about potholes and park upgrades have sparked a global trend of people asking the mayor of New York City to fix their problems.
• New York moviegoers are preemptively grieving the Kips Bay AMC theater, which officials said will close at the end of the year.

• This 9/11 anniversary also marks 25 years since bollards started popping up everywhere.
• A new pilot program will allow yellow cab drivers to park in metered spots for up to three hours to go to the bathroom or just take a break.
• Celebrities in New York City increasingly want to live in buildings where you can get in and out by car.
• “Hey @Kalshi thanks for the lifetime ban from your gambling platform,” George Santos posted yesterday. “Let’s see how much longer you guys are around for.”
• A new study says you need a household income of at least $162,235 to be considered "upper middle class" in New Jersey.
• Odell Beckham Jr. is back on the Giants.