NYC NOW - Morning Headlines: Floods Slam NY and NJ, Hochul Pushes Drone Crackdown, and City Council Pushes Bill to Aid Displaced Tenants & Landlords

Episode Date: July 15, 2025

Rain is tapering off after flash flooding hammered parts of New York and New Jersey Monday night, leaving roads submerged and businesses flooded. Meanwhile, Governor Kathy Hochul is calling on Congress to give states more power to detect and disable drones. Plus, the New York City Council is proposing the “Back Home Act,” a set of bills aimed at helping tenants and landlords displaced by fires and floods.

Welcome to NYC Now, your source for local news in and around New York City from WMYC. It's Tuesday, July 15th. Here's the morning headlines from Michael Hill. The rain now tapering off this morning after flash flooding walloped New York and New Jersey. Yesterday, flash flood warnings were in effect from northern New Jersey to Long Island and north to Westchester. Authorities in New Jersey towns such as Scotch planes warned of heavy flooded roadways and social media filled with photos of businesses filled with water. Somerset County in New Jersey issued a shelter in place because, quote, conditions are extremely dangerous.

New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy also declared a state of emergency in response to yesterday's heavy rainfall. There are reports of scattered showers through this morning, but the National Weather Service says heaviest rainfall has shifted east and weakened. Thank goodness. Governor Kathy Hochle is calling on the federal government to give states more power to stop. dangerous drones. WNYC's Charles Lane reports. In a letter to President Trump in Congress, Hokel says the U.S. is unprepared for drone threats and states like New York need more authority to respond. She's pushing for expanded powers to detect and disable drones, especially with major 2026 events like the World Cup and America's 250th birthday on the horizon. This call mirrors

recent demands by the NYPD, which says relying on federal partners isn't fast enough during high-risk moments. Hockel says the time for action is now. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Losing a home to a fire or flood is one of the most destabilizing experiences you can imagine. A new legislative package aims to help New Yorkers who find themselves in that situation. WNYC's Tamzan Vidal has more. New York City Council member Jennifer Gutierrez calls this new set of bills the back home act.

She says the legislation is designed to address the critical gaps in operational hurdles faced by both tenants and landlords in the aftermath of displacement. These bills fill a gap that the city left wide open. They bring real accountability and care to New Yorkers when they need it most. Gutierrez represents parts of Brooklyn and Queens. She adds that the bills were introduced back in 2024 with lithium-ion battery-fueled fires in mind. According to the FDNY, these battery-related fires continue to be an issue within the city. 72 and partly sunny now with a slim chance of showers and thunderstorms, partly sunny in 87 for a high. The roads and trains appear to be all clear for now after that weather-related delay or two yesterday.

Keep a tuned here to WNYC. More about your weather now with a slim chance of showers and thunderstorms today. We'll get through the day nowhere near what we had yesterday, partly sunny and 87 for a high. Thanks for listening. This is NYC now from WNYC. Myc. Catch us every weekday, three times a day, for your top news headlines and occasional deep dives. And subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.

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