Emergency operations centers activated amid storms

NEW YORK (PIX11) -- People will be watching the skies and the weather forecasts all week as heavy rain, storms, and flooding are all on the radar through the end of the week.

To prepare for a storm, crews must accomplish a lot of work to prevent unnecessary flooding and blocked tracks.

Crews with the NYC Departments of Sanitation and Environmental Protection get ahead of the storm by cleaning streets and catch basins. When these are blocked, the water heads to the lowest point. MTA and NYC Transit crews clear drains and grates in stations and on tracks. 

Most of the people outside told PIX11 News they have to remember the umbrella. 

By Tuesday 4:30 pm, the rain had arrived along Broadway at West 157th Street in Washington Heights. It’s an uptown area that has seen flooding in the past. 

The slow-moving showers drenched some neighborhoods while others were dry. It's a hint of what's coming. 

"I look forward to the rain it cleans the streets," said Solange Collins as she finished errands uptown. 

The MTA and NJ Transit pre-position crews to remove trees. Wind is also expected to be a problem. 

"When we have seen this level of threat, it has been bad days of major flooding. NYC, Rockland, Nassau, pay attention and be aware," said Commissioner Jackie Bray with NY Homeland Security and Emergency Services.

Chainsaw crews, pump trains, and debris-clearing vehicles are ready.