Up to three inches of flood water was reported in some tents at the Floyd Bennett Field in Brooklyn
Migrant families sheltering in tents in New York City said they woke up to find water pouring through the ceilings as the structures shook in a storm with wind gusts up to 50 mph hit the area early Monday.
The Immigration Coalition posted a video to X showing the inside of one of the tents at Floyd Bennett Field, a former airfield in Brooklyn being used as a "humanitarian relief center," for some of the thousands of new arrivals to the city since spring 2022.
In the video, heavy rain is heard pouring through the roof, with reports of 3 inches of flood water. Migrants also said, according to the post, that staff had refused to call ambulances to evacuate sick children from the site.
They were asking for people with cars to come and help.
However, New York City Emergency Management (NYCEM) Commissioner Zach Iscol said in a video Monday morning that there was only minimal amounts of "pooling" inside the tents. The commissioner had been at the site since 4 a.m., NYCEM said.
"The safety of the people that are living out here is of paramount importance," Iscol said. "Nobody from the city thinks having families with children living out of Floyd Bennett Field is ideal.
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"This is what was given to us by the state, by the federal government, and the team has done incredible work to make it work out here."
Iscol said the city had weather evacuation plans in place, but the threshold for activating these was not reached.
"These structures are incredibly, incredibly strong, they are designed to handle much more severe weather and winds than what we experienced last night," Iscol added on Monday.
In a statement Sunday night, NYC Emergency Management said it was aware of the possibility of flooding and warned that it was likely around Jamaica Bay, which is minutes from Floyd Bennett Field.
"The National Weather Service has put New York City under numerous watches, warnings, and advisories as they expect the storm to bring a range of hazards to the area," Iscol had said Sunday.
"Heavy rain tonight and tomorrow morning likely will cause widespread minor flooding of roadways and properties, particularly in flood-prone areas."
Monday afternoon when high tide is expected, the area around Jamaica Bay will still be at risk and under coastal flooding warning. NYCEM predicted up to 3 feet of flooding could hit the area, with Mayor Eric Adams promising crews were staged to carry out any rescues necessary.
Just over a week ago, Iscol visited Floyd Bennett Field ahead of another storm. He shared a video to X saying the department was working to make sure the site is safe and could stand up to any stormy conditions.
Concerns were raised in November over the safety and living conditions at the site which can house 2,000 people. Some migrants refused to stay there because of the remote location.
At the time, Mayor Eric Adams said that the city understood these were not ideal conditions, but that it was doing what it could to manage a crisis.
The Messenger approached NYC City Hall for further comment on Monday's weather concerns, with a spokesperson saying the claims of flooding were "simply not based in fact," referring to Commissioner Iscol's visit.