A dire and potentially catastrophic situation is unfolding across parts of New England and New York, where continuous rounds of heavy rain parked over the region are triggering flash flooding of epic proportions.

This system has already proven impressive and deadly. Nearly 8 inches of rain fell in just six hours in Orange County, New York, on Sunday at the US Military Academy at West Point. That was a 1-in-1,000-year rainfall event for the location – one that is so intense, it usually only occurs once every 1,000 years.

The surge of floodwaters there swept away and killed a woman Sunday night and forced dozens of high water rescues.

More devastating scenes were already unfolding Monday morning in Vermont, where the Weather Prediction Center issued a rare Level 4 out of 4 “high risk” of excessive rainfall. It’s the first time a high risk has been issued for the area, according to the WPC.

It’s hard to overstate how big of a deal these high risks are. They are issued on fewer than 4% of days per year on average, but are responsible for 83% of all flood-related damage and 39% of all flood-related deaths, research from the WPC shows.

So seeing one is a sign that destructive and deadly flooding is likely. That’s exactly what the National Weather Service in Burlington, Vermont, warned of Monday, calling for “potentially catastrophic widespread flash flooding … with possible impacts not seen since (Hurricane) Irene.”

That’s a hefty comparison. Irene damaged or destroyed 800 homes and businesses, nearly 2,400 roads and 300 bridges with its catastrophic rainfall over the state in 2011, but that’s exactly the kind of destruction high risk days warn of.

While Vermont is where the greatest risk of flooding exists, all of New England is at risk of excessive rainfall.

Rainfall rates as high as 2 inches per hour are forecast and could cause rainfall totals as high as 8 inches through Monday in locations where storms begin to train – meaning they roll over the same location for long periods of time.

A more widespread amount of up to 4 inches of rain will be common throughout New England.

All of the rain must go somewhere, but the ground is already wet, and the hilly, mountainous terrain has less surface area for rain to soak into the soil. The steep inclines could send it rushing down into streams and rivers, which can rise quickly with little warning and then overwhelm any flood protection.

The worst of the rain should stop by Tuesday, but more is possible across some of these same parts of New England later in the week, so this flood situation is something this region will be dealing with for days to come.

Intense rain and flash flooding that left at least one dead in southeastern New York continued to pelt the Northeast on Monday, forcing residents from their homes and prompting road closures and water rescues.

Over 9 million people are under flood alerts across the Northeast on Monday, including parts of New York, Vermont, Massachusetts and Maine – as well as across the country in Washington and Alaska. Flash flood emergencies and landslides are expected, with heavy rainfall expected throughout the day.

The National Weather Service issued a flash flood emergency warning for central Vermont on Monday, where 19 people have been rescued by boat and 25 others have been evacuated, Vermont’s Urban Search and Rescue team coordinator Mike Cannon told reporters.

Two areas in the state, Weston and South Londonderry, are currently inaccessible due to flooding, and search and rescue teams are working to regain access and perform welfare checks, Cannon said.

Gov. Phil Scott declared a state of emergency Sunday as the weather service warned flash flooding could become “extremely dangerous.”

“My friends, this is the new normal,” New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said, addressing the havoc that the storm is wreaking in the state, where more than 8 inches of rain fell within a 24 hour period in some locations in the state.

A 35-year-old woman died Sunday, swept away by floodwater as she tried to evacuate her Orange County home. The flooding has caused “easily tens of millions of dollars in damage,” county Executive Steve Neuhaus said Monday.

Many residents who tried to drive out of the area, which includes the US Military Academy at West Point, were trapped Sunday, Neuhaus said. “We saw many cars that tried to go for it through the water, didn’t make it, and got stuck,” he said, adding that he saw “active duty Army soldiers up to their bellies … we were walking to cars to make sure people got out.”

In western New York’s Ontario County, door-to-door checks were conducted at about 120 homes, which prompted the voluntary evacuation of more than a dozen individuals and five pets, according to Hochul. Officials in the area have set up a temporary shelter.

Hochul said FEMA and White House officials have offered to assist with the response.

“While the storm has already passed through the southern part of New York, conditions remain dangerous in further north where there are ongoing extreme weather conditions. I urge all New Yorkers to remain vigilant, monitor local forecasts and have an evacuation plan ready if you’re in a danger zone,” Hochul said.

Once-in-a-millennium rainfall

A once-in-a-millennium rainfall event is one that is so intense, the chances of it happening in any given year is just 0.1%.

Reading, Pennsylvania, received 5.35 inches of rain Sunday, shattering its old daily rainfall record of 3.47 inches, set in 1952.

Areas across New England could see 3 to 5 inches of rain Monday, which could bring rainfall totals for this storm up to 12 inches.

A moderate risk, Level 3 of 4, of excessive rainfall is in place in New England through early Tuesday. Rainfall totals across the area are expected to range from 3 to 5 inches.

New York could see 1 to 2 inches of rain per hour on Monday, the NWS warned.

Rescuers cannot reach them due to several road closures, Phelan said, and officials are advising those residents over the phone to get to the highest ground they can in their homes.

Most of the town’s roads are impassable and Londonderry is cut off from the rest of the state, according to Phelan. “It’s the worst we’ve seen in many, many years,” Phelan said.

Numerous rivers across Vermont have been rising as a result of the heavy rainfall, with some rising more than they have since Hurricane Irene in 2011. The rainfall could push isolated storm totals towards 12 inches when combined with rainfall from the weekend, according to the weather service.

The city of Montpelier is expecting major flooding downtown and the Barre Auditorium has been opened as a shelter. The Winooski River at Montpelier has risen more than 8 feet in 10 hours, nearing 14 feet in elevation, and is expected to rise another 5 or more feet by Tuesday morning, according to projections from NWS’ Northeast River Forecast Center.

The White River in West Hartford has similarly risen 10 feet in 10 hours since Monday morning and is expected to crest above 20 feet for the first time since Irene in 2011.

Nearly a dozen different locations across Vermont from the Connecticut River in the south to the Missisquoi River in the north will experience moderate or major flooding before river levels begin dropping Tuesday.

Officials have made 50 rescues across the state, including using boats to help people trapped in their homes or in cars that were swept away in fast-moving waters.

Windham and Windsor County have been the worst hit by the flooding, according to Cannon, from the state’s Urban Search and Rescue Program.

In a Monday Facebook post, Scott said the state was enacting an “all-hands-on-deck” response to the extreme flooding. “We have not seen rainfall like this since Irene, and in some places, it will surpass even that,” the governor said.

In New York, six counties are under a state of emergency and state officials are scrutinizing roads and bridges to ensure they’re not “structurally compromised,” Gov. Hochul said at a Monday news conference.

New York City’s Emergency Management Department cautioned residents living in basement apartments “to be prepared to move to higher ground.” Heavy rains continuing through Monday morning “may cause rapid flooding to basements with little to no notice and can be life threatening,” an alert from the agency sent Sunday afternoon reads.

When torrential rain from Hurricane Ida caused flooding in New York City in 2021, most of the homes where residents were found dead were illegally converted basement or cellar apartments, city officials said.

“Do not underestimate the power of fast-moving water,” Hochul said. “Two feet of fast-moving flood water will float your car, and water moving at two miles per hour can sweep cars off a road or bridge.”

Trapped drivers had to swim out of their cars

Ten people were rescued from a campground in Andover, Vermont when a bridge at Horseshoe Acres Campground was washed out, leaving campers trapped, said Jeannette Haight, the town clerk and treasurer.

In the same county, the town of Cornwall issued a “No travel Advisory” Sunday after storms flooded multiple roads, triggered mudslides and forced rescues from stranded cars. In nearby Rockland County, state police also reported “numerous motorists stranded” due to flooding in the area.

Over 150 water related call including dozens of water rescues. Currently state fire, Monroe county water rescue, Ontario county water rescue and several other agencies are assisting. pic.twitter.com/bvNMKjPkKd

— Canandaigua Fire (@IAFF2098) July 10, 2023

Firefighters in Canandaigua in Ontario County, New York, received over 150 water related calls and performed dozens of rescues, Canandaigua Fire officials tweeted Sunday, sharing a photo of people kayaking through deluged streets.

Eastern Pennsylvania also saw “significant” flash flooding Sunday afternoon, according to the weather service. The Fleetwood Police Department shared images of deluged roadways in Berks County and urged residents to avoid all travel, adding that crews were out responding to rescues and flooded basements Sunday.

For gastronomes on vacation, few places feature cuisine more high end than Michelin-starred restaurants in the world’s finest hotels and resorts.

From Bangkok to Piedmont and Hanoi to Tokyo, these ridiculously lovely hotels let you indulge in the finest culinary arts, enjoy world class wines and then stagger back to the comfort of your room.

Here are 20 of the finest tables around the world, some of the dishes you can expect to enjoy, and the rooms in which to lay your head after an epic feast. Just bear in mind that menus change with the seasons – and culinary inspiration – so the dishes mentioned here may not necessarily be available on your visit.

The Restaurant, Dolder Grand: Zurich, Switzerland

The Dolder Grand sits in the hills above Zurich and has attracted the likes of Winston Churchill, Albert Einstein and the Rolling Stones as past guests. Filled with a collection of contemporary art, it’s a home away from home for Swiss high society and well heeled international travelers.

It may have a simple name, but “The Restaurant” is a culinary tour de force from chef Heiko Nieder, home to two Michelin stars as well as multiple other accolades. He frequently welcomes fellow acclaimed chefs from around the world in pop-up events and special dining partnerships.

Dishes such as beef brisket with snails, horseradish and cabbage, and “chili con carne” made with tomato, coffee and kidney bean ice cream, show the sort of culinary creativity and innovation at work, while one of Switzerland’s finest wine cellars makes for the perfect pairing.

Hjem: Northumberland, UK

A couple in both life and work, Swedish chef Alex Nietosvuori and restaurateur Ally Thompson from northeast England have made a humble spot called Hjem one of the UK’s most sought-after places to dine and spend the night.

Located in rolling hills near historic Hadrian’s Wall in Northumberland, Hjem – “home” in both Swedish and the local Northumbrian pronunciation – offers cozy rooms and a stellar one Michelin star tasting menu using sensational local produce from Hexhamshire Organics.

Small bites may include a tartlet of venison, celeriac and wild garlic, or North Sea trout with preserved rhubarb and dill oil, while lobster tail and morel mushroom is the new take on surf and turf you’ve been waiting for. Be sure not to miss their epic breakfast, included in the room rate – it features more first class local ingredients, from fruit and cheeses to smoked meats and fish.

Piazza Duomo: Alba, Italy

Enrico Crippa is one of Italy’s most renowned and respected chefs, heading up the three Michelin-starred Piazza Duomo in Alba, Piedmont. Unassuming at first glance, the town is known as a gastronomic paradise thanks to truffles, chestnuts, mushrooms and world-class wines being just some of the produce on the doorstep.

As a result, almost everything he serves comes from either Piazza Duomo’s own garden, or from within a 50-mile radius of the restaurant. Crippa spent a number of years in Japan, learning to love the nation’s obsession with quality and elegance in food; a stint with Spanish legend Ferran Adrià further helped him to further hone his philosophy.

A salad called “21, 31, 41, 51” is one of his signature dishes as it reflects the astonishing number of different leaves, vegetables and herbs that are needed to prepare it. Raw beef from the Langhe (the local area) is another specialty, while the wine list is one of Italy’s finest, thanks in part to the restaurant’s owners being Piedmont’s Ceretto winemaking dynasty. Rooms exude Italian style and warmth.

Côte By Mauro Colagreco, Capella Bangkok: Thailand

Argentinian maestro Mauro Colagreco was the first ever non-French chef to earn three Michelin stars in France, at Mirazur on the famed French Riviera. Consequently, he brings a remarkable resume to Côte, his restaurant at Capella Bangkok, thousands of miles away on the banks of the Thai capital’s Chao Phraya river.

The elegant dining room overlooks the busy “river of kings,” but eyes will be firmly fixed on the dishes from a menu which cleverly positions itself as “Riviera to River,” combining textures and tastes from France with traditional Thai ingredients like lemongrass, ginger and pomelo.

Open for lunch and dinner from Wednesday to Sunday, Côte by Mauro Colagreco lets diners eat either à la carte or choose from a seven or nine-course tasting menu. Standouts include the decadent choux pastry filled with chicken mousse, foie gras and black trumpet mushroom, served with a black winter truffle sauce.

Chaat, Rosewood Hong Kong

High above Hong Kong harbor, Chaat at Rosewood Hong Kong has become a must-visit for fans of pan-Indian cuisine, thanks to the innovation and execution of chef de cuisine Manav Tuli. Although only open since 2020, it was quickly awarded a Michelin star thanks to its flawless, creative renditions of Indian dishes.

For example, his take on samosas, the beloved Indian snack, means delicate cones filled with spiced jackfruit. Other streetfood dishes include Pav Bhaji, a delicious spicy vegetable curry that is mashed and served on a soft bread roll.

Tandoor ovens mean that chicken, fish and paneer cheese are beautifully rendered with just the right amount of smoke and charring, while the range of breads they cook reflect India’s culinary diversity. After dinner, rooms and suites at Rosewood Hong Kong are some of the finest in the city, with jaw-dropping views of the harbor.

Le Manoir Aux Quat’Saisons: Oxfordshire, UK

Chef Raymond Blanc is one of the most recognizable and beloved French residents in the UK. He’s cooked for everyone from Lady Gaga to Queen Elizabeth II, first won two Michelin stars way back in 1984 and astonishingly has held onto them ever since – as well as adding a “green Michelin star,” awarded for sustainability.

Le Manoir Aux Quat’Saisons, a Belmond Hotel, is a picture perfect, honey-colored manor house dating from the 15th century. It’s home to one of England’s finest walled gardens, where a cornucopia of produce includes dozens of types of vegetables, an expansive orchard, herbs, flowers and even a “mushroom valley.”

Blanc and his team, led by executive head chef Luke Selby, craft it into sublime dishes served in their dining room overlooking perfectly manicured lawns. A “fruit soup” with mint and basil is light and refreshing, while a combination of sea bass, scallop and mash with a red wine sauce is beautifully balanced. The trio of chocolate, featuring a fondant, ice cream and marquise, makes for a perfect ending.

Plénitude, Cheval Blanc Paris: France

A relatively new arrival in the City of Light, Cheval Blanc Paris has been the talk of the town since opening in late 2021 in the heart of the capital on the right bank of the Seine. With just 72 rooms and suites, each has a dedicated butler and large windows with stellar views over Notre Dame and the famous skyline.

Gastronomic restaurant Plénitude by chef Arnaud Donckele marked an extraordinary debut by being awarded the pinnacle of three Michelin stars just six months after opening. The 26-seater is booked up months ahead for Donckele’s dishes which are defined by his true mastery of sauces, the backbone of French cuisine.

Menus are driven by the season so could include scarlet shrimp with artichoke under a sauce called “Chopin Carmin,” created from a dazzling mix of ingredients including Thai basil, shrimp broth and bergamot. As one would hope in France, the desserts – by Maxime Frédéric – also wow.

Ynyshir: Powys, UK

A remote coastal corner of Wales has become one of the UK’s hottest culinary destinations thanks to Ynyshir, a restaurant and inn which has won two Michelin stars and promises an immersive and unique dining experience. That’s thanks to a DJ playing while you dine, the flames of a very open kitchen and menus from chef Gareth Ward which can stretch to 31 – yes, 31 – courses over four hours.

Luckily, they’re all pretty much bite-sized, but these bites have had gastronomes raving. The burger, for example, sees local Welsh wagyu aged, brined, minced, flavored with ginger and scallions, then smoked on the grill. Fermented lettuce, gherkins and a mayonnaise made from charred bread makes for a one-bite wonder.

Rooms are uniquely furnished and most overlook the Cambrian mountains and 14 acres of grounds, where after-dinner walks are popular, given those 31 courses. One thing to note: given the long tasting menu, dietary requirements cannot be catered for.

Il Ristorante Niko Romito, Bulgari Resort Dubai: UAE

Italian chef Niko Romito was one of the big winners in the inaugural Dubai Michelin Awards, as his eponymous restaurant at Bulgari Resort Dubai was awarded two stars. In a stellar career, Romito has won critical and public acclaim and is widely respected by his peers for his three Michelin-starred restaurant Reale in Italy’s Abruzzo region.

In Dubai, his resident chef Giacomo Amicucci takes the same approach, meaning creative but never gimmicky takes on Italian dishes. “Spaghetti and tomato” couldn’t sound more humble but becomes a game-changer by using cutting edge extraction and reduction techniques to innovate two classic ingredients, while the risotto alla milanese is a brilliant take on one of Italy’s best loved dishes.

Located on an island reached by a causeway, the Bulgari Resort Dubai features villas, rooms and suites which epitomize Italian style – especially the 1,300 square foot Bulgari Suite with a wraparound terrace and views over the multimillion dollar yachts below.

SingleThread: California

Located in the picturesque small town of Healdsburg in the heart of Sonoma wine country, restaurant-inn SingleThread is the creation of Kyle and Katina Connaughton. Since 2021, they have held three Michelin stars for their cuisine, which celebrates peerless produce from their sustainable farm just seven miles away.

The Connaughtons grow their world class ingredients based in part on the concept of “micro seasons,” where the year is broken down to 72 periods of five days each to ensure that produce reaches the kitchen at the absolute optimum ripeness. They worked for years at the acclaimed Michel Bras in Toya, Japan, and a Japanese ethos pervades SingleThread in design, elegant rooms – and food.

The menu changes weekly, but dishes could include venison hobayaki cooked over an open flame on a magnolia leaf with a carrot miso, or a dessert of rhubarb with green tea and almond cream. Presentation is everything, especially their famous appetizer, Summer in Sonoma, where small, elegant dishes such as lemon pannacotta topped with caviar are served surrounded by flowers and plants.

Le Saint-Martin, Château Saint-Martin Hotel & Spa: Provence, France

The French Riviera is famed for its sun-kissed produce, so Chef Jean-Luc Lefrançois has plenty to play with at Le Saint-Martin in Vence, in the hills overlooking the Côte d’Azur. Some ingredients in his one Michelin-starred restaurant come from the kitchen gardens in the grounds of the chateau which dates back to the 12th century and offers elegant rooms and suites.

The four course Le Saint-Martin menu – served with sweeping views towards the glittering Mediterranean – celebrates this local bounty, as well as traditions. Hake with fondant potato and fennel comes with a bouillabaisse juice inspired by the legendary fish stew of Marseille, while veal shank is accompanied by smoked bell pepper and zucchini. Head sommelier Vincent Arhuro ensures perfect wine pairings.

Lung King Heen, Four Seasons Hong Kong

Lung King Heen at Four Seasons Hong Kong made history in 2008 as the first Chinese restaurant in the world to receive three Michelin stars – an accolade it held until 2023, when it went down to two. The man who’s earned them again and again is Hong Kong born and bred chef Chan Yan Tak, who has more than half a century of experience in Cantonese cuisine.

Under his watch, the execution of every dish demonstrates the techniques, patience and creativity needed to take food to the next level. Exquisite dim sum could feature baked buns filled with barbecued pork and pine nuts, or delicate crispy scallops topped with fresh pear, shrimp paste and Yunnan ham.

Other classic dishes from China’s vast and diverse food landscape include shrimp coated in salted egg, and deep fried or roast Peking duck. The hotel also has a three-star restaurant, Caprice (for French fine dining), making this a ticket to somewhere bordering food paradise.

Pergola, Rome Cavalieri, a Waldorf Astoria Hotel: Italy

La Pergola was the first and remains the only three Michelin-starred restaurant in Rome. Sitting in a roof garden atop the Rome Cavalieri, a Waldorf Astoria Hotel, you get a side order of views of the Eternal City along with sumptuous Mediterranean dishes from chef Heinz Beck.

Their homemade pasta is the star of the show. Fagotelli La Pergola are delicate parcels filled with pecorino cheese, egg yolks and whipped cream, served with slow-cooked veal and a zucchini and guanciale-based sauce. Risotto with baby squid, and saffron or lamb with carrots and myrtle sauce are other options from the à la carte menu, although the seven and 10-course tasting menus are popular.

As for the hotel side of things, you’ll find suites furnished with invaluable art pieces dating back three centuries, as well as terraces for impromptu al fresco parties.

Tapas Molecular Bar, Mandarin Oriental: Tokyo, Japan

Molecular cuisine essentially deconstructs familiar dishes and uses new approaches, techniques and technology to integrate flavor and texture, with often surprising results. High above the city of Tokyo, the single-starred Tapas Molecular Bar seats just eight diners who enjoy dishes stimulating the five senses from Kento Ushikubo, chef de cuisine.

Ushikubo majored in art and calls his selection of dishes an “art gallery” as he takes guests on a culinary world tour. One of his most celebrated creations is a donut filled with caviar and mascarpone cheese, paired with a glass of champagne. Another is a riff on the classic Spanish “bikini” ham and cheese sandwich, serving it with Iberico ham, truffle butter and three types of cheese.

Mandarin Oriental, Tokyo is located in the capital’s historical and cultural center of Nihonbashi, meaning that local craftspeople and artisan food producers are further draws for guests wanting a more authentic experience.

Raby Hunt: County Durham, UK

Chef James Close has had an unusual career path, starting out as a semi-pro golfer before pivoting to cuisine after taking over Raby Hunt, his parents’ countryside pub with cozy rooms in a small village outside Darlington in northeast England. He now runs it with his wife, Maria, who’s also the pastry chef.

Incredibly, Close has had no formal culinary training, yet Raby Hunt holds two Michelin stars, while he has never once missed a restaurant service – in 13 years. That single-minded dedication results in brilliant renditions of global dishes which form a tasting menu which lives long in the memory.

A toasted tortilla tostada with a chipotle crema and ahi is dressed in sesame with crispy leeks, while the tartare of 60-day aged beef, with a smoked eel cream and horseradish “snow” is stunning. An entree of rack of Herdwick lamb with anchovy emulsion and steamed romaine lettuce is another standout. Chef Maria then crafts incredible desserts to finish the menu in style, underlining her reputation as one of the UK’s most exciting pastry chefs.

Lorenz Adlon Esszimmer, Hotel Adlon Kempinski: Berlin, Germany

A gourmet restaurant in the heart of Berlin, looking out towards the Brandenburg Gate, Lorenz Adlon Esszimmer holds two Michelin stars. Young Swiss chef Reto Brändli integrates ingenuity into contemporary haute cuisine, taking influences and ideas from across Europe while also championing Asian touches.

Flavors and textures across the six, seven and eight course tasting menus combine in creations like sea bass with chicory, kohlrabi and orange, or wild turbot with grapefruit, celery and hazelnuts. Duck liver with variations of apples and sour cream also shows a seriously confident hand in the kitchen.

The restaurant’s elegant wood-paneled dining room exudes class and old world luxury, reflecting the Adlon’s storied history – past guests have included Thomas Edison, Henry Ford and John D. Rockefeller.

Waku Ghin, Marina Bay Sands: Singapore

Japanese chef Tetsuya Wakuda made his name in Australia but has also held two Michelin stars in Singapore since 2017, thanks to his restaurant Waku Ghin at Marina Bay Sands. Guests can choose between the dining room, private dining areas or the signature Chef’s Table where the finest Japanese ingredients are prepared in front of you. There’s also the bar, which serves rare sakes and more than 100 cocktails along with your food.

Delicacies may include wasabi from Shizuoka or sea urchin from the cold waters of Hokkaido, picked by chef Tetsuya who has few rivals in his knowledge of Japanese seafood. On the plate, they’re transformed into dishes like the decadent marinated Botan shrimp with sea urchin and caviar, or simple but delicious grilled bamboo shoots with kinome miso with ground sansho leaves adding a citrus note.

It’s a short stroll to the elevators taking you up to the huge array of rooms housed in the Marina Bay Sands’ three towers, which have become a Singapore landmark – not least because of the world’s largest rooftop infinity pool which straddles them.

Marchal, Hotel d’Angleterre: Copenhagen, Denmark

Eating at the Hotel d’Angleterre is a historic occasion – since the restaurant here dates back to 1755. Indeed, the hotel started out as a restaurant, owned by Jean Marchal and Maria Coppy. Their inn would later expand and grow into the 92-room hotel that now surrounds it – and into Marchal, which opened in 2013 and has one Michelin star. Although proudly French in the 18th century, today executive chef Jakob de Neergaard intersperses French touches with his modern Nordic cuisine.

Diners can be tempted by an impressive selection of caviar, oysters and Spanish jamon iberico to kick off a meal in style. Entrees include Danish turbot that has been steamed in champagne, a chanterelle mushroom and truffle tart, and lobster with avocado and horseradish cream.

After dessert, there are 92 rooms to choose from. For those really splashing out, the Royal Suite overlooks The Royal Theater and has a spectacular fireplace, perfect for chilly Danish evenings.

Memories, Grand Resort Bad Ragaz: Zurich, Switzerland

At Memories, chef Sven Wassmer recently instigated a four-day week to give his team a greater work-life balance. That means there’s even more laser focus on execution and quality across lunch and dinner – and it’s paid off, with the Swiss Alps restaurant going from two to three Michelin stars in October 2022.

With an incredible local bounty of produce to play with, Wassmer’s approach is less is more – or as he says, “The longer I cook, the more I leave out.” Hence his signature dish of char from the nearby waters of Val Lumnezia is served with just burnt dairy cream and Douglas fir for a true taste of the Alps.

Diners can choose from seven, nine or 11-course tasting menus, before retiring to the hotel’s impressive array of rooms. If you need a rest, the spa is filled with thermal water from the adjacent Tamina Gorge.

Hibana by Koki, Capella Hanoi: Vietnam

Finally to Vietnam, where Michelin published its first ever guide in June 2023. Only four restaurants were awarded a hugely coveted star, including Hibana by Koki at the elegant Capella Hanoi.

Head chef Hiroshi Yamaguchi is a visionary master of teppanyaki, the technique involving cooking on a teppan (metal griddle). As always in Japanese cuisine, the ingredients are all. His meticulously sourced vegetables, seafood, meats and more are among the finest that money can buy. That translates for diners into courses including perfectly prepared Hokkaido crab, spiny lobster and Yaeyama Kyori beef. After dinner, head up to your whimsical, historically inspired room by designer Bill Bensley.

Chris Dwyer is a freelance food and travel writer, follow him on Instagram at @chrismdwyer

At the once-bustling Utako Motor Park — an interstate motor hub connecting Nigeria’s capital Abuja to its 36 states – transporter Jume Hanwa took a rare daytime nap in the trunk of his empty vehicle.

It was Eid al-Adha, a Muslim holiday typically celebrated with travel and family reunions, but no traveler had shown up all day at the terminal hosting his commercial bus.

“The hike in fuel price has caused a scarcity of passengers,” Hanwa, 50, added.

Transport costs have risen sharply since the end of fuel subsidies was announced weeks ago.

Nigeria’s new President Bola Tinubu ended the subsidy during his inaugural speech on May 29, saying it was unsustainable and a drain on public finances.

Fuel subsidies cost the government over 400 billion naira (around $867 million) monthly, according to figures from state-owned oil firm Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC).

The news caused panic buying and long lines for fuel across the country. Gas prices were immediately hiked to nearly three times their usual rate by individual gas station owners and government run petrol outlets.

In another address on June 12, President Tinubu said he was aware that the decision to halt the subsidy “will impose extra burden on the masses,” but it was crucial to the country’s economic survival.

“I feel your pain,” he added. “This is one decision we must bear to save our country … Painfully, I have asked you my compatriots to sacrifice a little more for the survival our country.”

Travelers plying Hanwa’s routes will now have to pay up to double the previous amounts for bus tickets due to the increase in the retail price of fuel, he said. But many commuters are yet to adjust to this reality.

“Before the hike in fuel price, Abuja to Kano was 5,500 ($7.26) but is now 8,500 ($11.22),” he said.

Artificially low gas prices

The subsidies had kept the price of fuel artificially low for decades, although prices had steadily climbed through the years.

Cheap gasoline has been part of daily life for citizens in Africa’s largest oil producing country for decades.

But despite being the continent’s top crude producer, Nigeria lacks the capacity to refine its oil and spends billions of dollars on yearly imports of refined petroleum products.

Successive governments had carried on with fuel subsidy since its introduction in the 1970s but had also mooted deregulating the country’s oil sector.

Attempts by previous governments to remove the subsidy were met with rage and triggered anti-government protests, particularly in 2012 when the country was brought to a standstill for two weeks.

It has now been one month since the subsidy was halted and Nigerians are grappling with a steep rise in the cost of living.

Along with soaring transport fares, food prices and costs for other essentials have skyrocketed across the country.

“Because of high transport costs, the prices of food items have increased. I used to buy a bag of foreign rice for 30,000 naira ($38) but it is now 45,000 naira ($58). A bag of beans used to be 40,000 naira ($51) but now it is 55,000 naira ($71). My profit is next to nothing,” he said.

“My business has been severely affected, because the higher the prices, the lower the quantity of food items I can buy.”

Economic hardship

Analyst Sam Amadi criticized what he described as an “abrupt” and “reckless” end to the subsidy scheme, saying that its hasty removal inflicts more hardship on Nigerians, who are already grappling with soaring inflation and high living costs.

Hanwa, a father-of-seven, says he is already feeling the pinch.

Fabian Grace, a 37-year-old mother-of-four is also feeling the brunt of the economic hardship.

Grace lives in sub-standard housing in a slum area of Maraba, a sprawling suburb on the fringes of the nation’s capital, Abuja. She runs a gasoline-powered food grinder at a makeshift wooden stall and is her family’s sole provider.

Grace relies on meager profits from her grinder machine to provide for her kids and husband, who’s currently out of work. But she has seen those profits dwindle since the subsidy was removed.

Most of her customers now prefer to manually grind their items into paste at home themselves rather than pay the new price of 100 naira.

“I’ve lost many customers,” she said.

Grace now struggles to make a profit of up to 3,000 naira ($3.96) a week, she said. Her bank savings are completely depleted.

“As I’m not making many sales now, finding what to eat each day is more important than thinking of what to save at the bank.”

‘The masses are suffering’

State-owned oil firm Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) says fuel prices will now be “determined by market forces” under a free market policy.

It suggested that the high cost of the product “could also go down,” but did not provide a timeline.

A reduction in price, however, remains a long shot as the country’s oil marketers already forecast a further rise in the retail price of fuel from as early as July, citing foreign exchange rates, global oil prices and shipping costs.

Economist Bismarck Rewane agrees that halting fuel subsidy “makes economic sense,” but mentions that the saved proceeds from the scheme must be ploughed back into bettering the lives of Nigerians.

Hanwa said he was “praying and appealing to the new administration to make life easy for the masses,” adding: “The masses are suffering. Almost everything now in Nigeria is expensive.”

As Nigerians seek coping strategies to adjust to their new economic reality, more financial shocks may be coming.

Last week, regional power utility companies retracted an earlier memo that had announced a 40% hike in electricity prices starting July 1.

The power companies must now await a final nod from the national regulator before bringing in a new tariff.

Among a raft of other proposed hikes, Nigeria’s public universities are raising tuition fees.

Last month, a students association demonstrated against a hike in fees at a state-owned university in the southern Edo State which increased tuition for law students from 185,000 naira to ($238) to 741,500 naira ($957), representing a 300% increase, local media reported.

For breadwinners like Grace, whose teenage son is seeking college admission, only a miracle will suffice.

At the gates of Jenin’s government hospital on Wednesday, dozens of armed Palestinian militants and their families gathered to collect their dead, just hours after hundreds of Israeli soldiers withdrew from the city’s sprawling refugee camp.

A foul stench filled the hot summer air, much of Jenin was left without running water or power during Israel’s largest incursion in the occupied West Bank in decades.

The bodies of young men were brought out one-by-one, each tightly tied to a stretcher, with some wrapped in the flags of their armed factions. At least one body was adorned with an AK-47 rifle.

The father of one of those killed, a 19-year-old fighter, stood proudly in the crowd outside the hospital, receiving a seemingly endless stream of hugs and condolences.

“My son sacrificed himself for this land,” Firas Abu Al-Wafa boasted loudly. “My son told me he did not want to get married or have a family, all he wanted to do was to dedicate his life to Palestine, to fighting the occupation.”

Celebratory gunfire rang out as thousands of people marched through the streets of Jenin and its camp on Wednesday to follow the funeral processions that quickly turned into a mass demonstration of resistance, with Palestinian armed factions declaring victory just for withstanding Israel’s firepower.

The Israeli military says all of the at least 12 Palestinians killed in its near 48-hour operation were combatants, and that its operation aimed to break the mindset that Jenin is a “safe haven” for militants.

But the Palestinian fighters parading through the streets in broad daylight, with weapons strapped to their chests, showed that they remain unbroken and defiant. The Jenin Brigade, a faction affiliated with the wider Islamic Jihad group, said eight of the dead, ranging in age from 16- to 21-years-old, came from among their ranks.

Meanwhile, United Nations experts have stated that five children were among the dead.

Widespread devastation

For many Palestinians, Jenin is a name and a place synonymous with suffering and resistance. The refugee camp was first established in 1953 for Palestinians who were uprooted from their homes after Israel’s creation in 1948.

Now it is a built-up and densely populated area with one of the highest rates of poverty and unemployment in the West Bank, according to the UN. An estimated 17,000 Palestinians live in an area that is less than half a square kilometer (0.16 square miles) in size.

The urban landscape and tight warren of alleyways left families caught in the crosshairs of what Israel says was a targeted assault on weapons depots, command centers and what it calls terror tunnels.

But UN experts accuse Israel’s forces of inflicting collective punishment on Jenin that may amount to a war crime. More than 100 Palestinians were wounded, including civilians.

Thousands of residents were forced to flee and returned to widespread devastation, with hundreds of homes damaged or destroyed, and schools that provided education to thousands of children shuttered due to the lack of basic services, according to UNRWA.

Hanaa al-Shalaby, 40, says she and her three young daughters were pinned down by the fighting for hours. They were eventually able to flee but then returned to find their home had been heavily damaged.

“Our home, all the material things – they can be replaced, but how can I rebuild the psyche of my little girls? How will they ever feel safe again?” al-Shalaby said through tears.

“My youngest, she is only 7 years old,” al-Shalaby said, “she says she wishes she was never born. She says I should never have birthed her into this horror.”

Frustration and resentment, but little left to fear

With Israel’s West Bank operations dramatically escalating, 2023 is on track to be the deadliest year in the occupied West Bank since the UN began recording casualties in 2005, according to the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC). Last year was the deadliest year on record for both Palestinians and Israelis across the West Bank and Israel in more than a decade.

More than 150 Palestinians, among them 28 children, have been killed in the West Bank this year, and most were shot by Israeli forces with live ammunition, according to the NRC. The number of dead include those who Israel says were actively fighting Israeli troops, but human rights group attest dozens of civilians have been killed as well.

Settler violence against Palestinians in recent months is also on the rise, as far-right ministers in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government call for unauthorized settler outposts in the West Bank to be expanded and turned into full settlements.

More than 440 settler attacks on Palestinians ranging from physical assault to property damage were recorded by the UN in the first half of this year alone., according to the NRC.

As the bloodshed escalates, Jenin remains an enclave on its own, part of the just 20% of the Israeli-occupied West Bank that is under the full control of the Palestinian Authority (PA).

But the PA has, for years, taken a hands-off approach with the camp, dwindling its “security cooperation” with Israel in Jenin to almost nothing, an Israeli official said last year.

And resentment against the PA, widely seen as corrupt and ineffectual, is palpable. During the funerals for those killed in the incursion, small crowds shouted “get out” at PA officials in attendance, others threw stones at the PA governor’s heavily fortified office.

The power vacuum in Jenin has allowed an armed insurrection to steadily grow in a place where there is little left for a deeply marginalized and long-neglected population. “Martyr” posters are plastered on many of the walls of the refugee camp, and most depict young men from various militant factions killed in the constant cycles of violence.

With Netanyahu reserving the right to send Israeli troops back into Jenin if his government deems it a security threat again, many residents feel certain another raid is imminent.

But Najwa Lahluh, a mother of five who returned to find her home completely torched, says that for her family there is nothing left to fear.

Israel says it has significantly weakened the militant groups based in the Jenin camp, but it has also deepened the hatred and motivated the resistance in this city, already known among Palestinians for always fighting back.

It is safe to say that Victor Wembanyama has had an eventful start to his new life in the United States.

The 2023 No. 1 draft pick has already been involved in celebrity drama, followed by an incredibly underwhelming NBA Summer League debut.

However, in his second time donning a San Antonio Spurs jersey, Wembanyama delivered a performance that lived up to the immense expectations placed on the French star.

The seven-foot-four-inch prospect delivered a strong double-double in San Antonio’s 85-80 loss against the Portland Trail Blazers.

Wembanyama scored an impressive 27 points on 9-of-14 shooting, to go along with 12 rebounds and three blocks.

This showing was a far cry from the nine points he scored on 15.4% shooting in his Spurs debut against the Charlotte Hornets.

Speaking after the Hornets game, ‘Wemby’ said: “Honestly, I didn’t really know what I was doing on the court tonight, there’s no better way to start, but I’m trying to learn for the next games. The important [thing] is to be ready for the season.”

On the vast improvement in his second showing, after the Blazers game, the teenager said: “I think personally, it’s normal to get better every game. Two days ago was my first game.

“I wish we could have won,” Wembanyama added. “I think I could have done more to help my team win the game. We got to keep learning.”

In attendance for the Frenchman’s complete performance was the Spurs’ longtime head coach and president, Gregg Popovich.

Coach Pop has just signed a new five-year deal with the Spurs which means the 74-year-old can extend his stay as the winningest coach in NBA history.

Popovich will also be entering the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in August following his remarkable achievements in the world of basketball.

Spurs fans will be delighted with the news of Pop’s extension as it gives Wembanyama the chance to play under NBA royalty while he learns his craft in the league.

“He’s not intimidating yet, but I’m sure he’s going to get intimidating when I see him in real life,” Wembanyama said of his new head coach after the draft.

The Spurs’ next Summer League game is against the Washington Wizards on Tuesday where they will be looking to bounce back from their defeat against the Blazers.

With alumni spanning the Oval Office, Hollywood, the Olympics, and even outer space, there have been countless landmark days for graduates of Punahou School in Hawaii.

Thanks to Allisen Corpuz, Sunday was yet another.

The 25-year-old became the second US Women’s Open champion to emerge from the Honolulu private school with her maiden major and LPGA Tour triumph at Pebble Beach in California on Sunday, following on from Michelle Wie West.

With a tearful West – champion at Pinehurst in 2014 – bidding an emotional farewell to the sport after missing the cut Friday, it marked a poignant full-circle moment for Hawaii’s only two women’s major winners.

“I never really thought I’d get this far,” Corpuz told reporters Sunday.

“Just watching Michelle, she’s been such a huge role model to me … But I’ve never really compared myself to her.

“I’ve always wanted to make my own name. She’s just served as a really big inspiration.”

Corpuz’s triumph, the first by an American in the country’s national championship since Brittany Lang in 2016, did not go unnoticed by Punahou’s most famous alumnus: former US President Barack Obama.

Obama, who graduated from the school in 1979, took to Twitter to congratulate Corpuz on her victory and arrange a match at Kapolei Golf Club, one of the state’s most prestigious clubs and – a stone’s throw from the seventh hole – the location of her parents’ house.

“You make us all proud – and look forward to a round at Kapolei!” Obama said.

Congratulations to fellow Hawaiian Allisen Corpuz for winning the U.S. Women’s Open! You make us all proud — and look forward to a round at Kapolei!

— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) July 10, 2023

Punahou’s star-studded list of alumni includes AOL co-founder Steve Case, eBay founder Pierre Omidyar, actress Kelly Preston, NASA astronaut Charles Veach, and Olympic gold medalist surfer Carissa Moore, yet two names stand out for Corpuz.

“Barack and Michelle [Wie] are the two Punahou alum that I get talked to about the most,” Corpuz said.

“He’s done a lot in his career … that’s really special.”

‘My mind is racing’

Corpuz had begun Sunday one stroke shy of leader Nasa Hataoka, whose blistering third round six-under 66 had put her within 18 holes of a first major title.

Yet the Japanese star’s dreams unraveled with a closing 76, four bogeys in a disastrous back nine dropping her back to tied-fourth.

Meanwhile, Corpuz raced out of the blocks, birdieing twice across her first three holes. It was a necessary pace given the furious start made by England’s Charley Hull, who was four-under for the round after just four holes.

Adamantly refusing to look at the leaderboard, Corpuz accidentally caught sight of it midway through the back nine. By that point though, with back-to-back birdies at the 14th and 15th holes, the American was almost over the line.

With Hull ultimately giving herself too much ground to make up and South Korea’s Shin Ji-yai similarly leaving a challenge too late, even a bogey at the penultimate hole caused little concern for Corpuz.

A steady par at the 18th saw the Hawaiian ease home at three-under for the day and nine-under overall to clinch the title and a $2 million winner’s share of a record $11 million prize purse.

“My mind is racing,” Corpuz said.

“This is really a dream come true. It was something I had dreamed of, but at the same time kind of just never really expected it to happen. Just trying to take it in and enjoy the moment.”

The victory sees Corpuz enter the history books as the winner of the first women’s major ever held at the fabled Pebble Beach venue.

The Californian links course had played host to a string of men’s US Open championships across its 104-year history, including an unforgettable 100th edition of the tournament in 2000 when Tiger Woods obliterated the field to record – at 15 shots clear – the largest margin of victory ever seen at a major championship.

“Personally, when I watch golf on TV, it makes it so much more interesting to know the course, and I think it helped to get us a lot of viewers this week,” Corpuz said.

“Especially just knowing the history – Tiger just absolutely annihilated this place. It’s really special.

“I think just the fact that it’s a US Open means a lot to me, but knowing that it’s at Pebble makes it even sweeter.”

Trinity Rodman scored twice as the United States Women’s National Team (USWNT) beat Wales 2-0 on Sunday in its final warmup game before the Women’s World Cup.

Rodman, the daughter of NBA legend Dennis Rodman, came on as a second half substitute before scoring a brace late in the game.

If her first goal was a simple tap-in, her second was anything but with the 21-year-old whipping in a brilliant finish from the edge of the box.

In addition to her two goals, the Washington Spirit forward injected some much needed energy into the game and made a strong case for her starting in this month’s World Cup campaign – the tournament, co-hosted by Australia and New Zealand, starts on July 20.

“[Trinity] was one of the players that went in that had a task to fulfill to raise the pace and tempo of the game and we saw the tempo changed dramatically,” USWNT manager Vlatko Andonovski told reporters.

“The second goal, I think that’s a world class goal.”

The USWNT’s first match of the tournament is against Vietnam on July 22 before it faces the Netherlands and Portugal in its other group games.

Reuters reported that 18,000 people watched Sunday’s match against Wales in San Jose, California, with fans giving their players a send off in a ceremony after the game.

Exciting prospect

Rodman is one of the many young stars being introduced to the squad which is bidding for its third consecutive title on the world stage.

It comes as many older players are coming to the end of their careers. Megan Rapinoe, for example, confirmed she would retire from the sport at the end of the season.

In 2021, Rodman made history after becoming the youngest woman ever selected in the NWSL draft. The then 18-year-old was drafted to Washington Spirit as the No. 2 pick.

She was named NWSL Rookie of the Year later that year as she helped her team lift the NWSL title.

Rodman made her highly-anticipated debut for the national team in 2022 and is part of a new generation of players looking to cement the USWNT’s legacy as the greatest team in women’s soccer.

Fans of Novak Djokovic were left disappointed on Sunday when, as it looked like the Serbian was romping to a straight-sets victory over world No. 18 Hubert Hurkacz at Wimbledon, play was stopped for the day.

Neither player was injured and the fans were engaged, but – like Andy Murray a few days prior – the game was suspended because it had come up against the tournament’s curfew.

What is the curfew at Wimbledon?

Unlike other grand slams, play at The All England Lawn Tennis Club is capped to finish at a certain time.

The outside courts stop play when light becomes an issue but on the show courts – Centre and No. 1 Court – there are retractable roofs – fitted with LED lights – which means the action could theoretically continue all night.

However, whereas at grand slams such as the Australian Open and US Open matches often finish well into the early hours of the morning, play is stopped on Wimbledon’s show courts at 11 p.m. local time (6 p.m. ET).

The rule, which was implemented in 2009 with the opening of the retractable roof on Centre Court, means that no play can continue past 11 p.m. local time with matches resuming the following day.

In a statement released in 2018, the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club said: “The 11pm curfew is a Planning Condition applied to balance the consideration of the local residents with the scale of an international tennis event that takes place in a residential area.

“The challenge of transport connectivity and getting visitors home safely is also a key consideration. The curfew was introduced for the opening of the Centre Court roof in 2009.”

What it means?

Already at this year’s Wimbledon, two matches haven fallen foul of the curfew.

The first was Murray’s epic second-round match against Stefanos Tsitsipas which didn’t start until almost 8 p.m. local time after Liam Broady’s five-set thriller against Casper Ruud and Alize Cornet’s injury-delayed defeat by defending champion Elena Rybakina.

There was little to separate Murray and Tsitsipas when they did take to the court. And after Murray had won the third set to take a 2-1 lead, the match was stopped approximately 20 minutes before the curfew.

Play eventually resumed on Friday only after No. 1 seed Carlos Alcaraz had completed his second-round match.

The break seemed to work in Tsitsipas’ favor as he won the two remaining sets to advance to the next round.

The other match to be suspended because of the curfew was Djokovic’s clash with Hurkacz on Sunday.

Like Murray and Tsitsipas, the duo only took to Center Court late into the evening after Andrey Rublev and Alexander Bublik went to five sets and and women’s world No. 1 Iga Świątek came back from a set down to beat Belinda Bencic.

When they did take to a court, Djokovic and Hurkacz played out two thrilling sets, with the world No. 2 eventually winning them both on tie-breaks.

After the second tie-break, play was suspended with the match set to resume on Monday at the beginning of the third set with a spot in the quarterfinals on the line.

The most recent exception to the rule was Murray’s win over Marcos Baghdatis in 2012 which finished at 11.02 p.m. local time with Murray just a game away from victory at the time when the game should have stopped per the curfew.

At the time, Merton Council’s leader, Stephen Alambritis, said that “flexibility and common sense prevailed.”

“We were in touch with the All England Club from 10pm onwards and there were discussions between our planning officers and the tournament director,” Alambritis said, per the Wimbledon Guardian.

“We have always said these prearrangements were to be used with discretion, so I was pleased flexibility and common sense prevailed, because we have a duty to both the residents as well as the tennis.”

Severe storms that left at least one dead in Orange County, New York, are dumping heavy rainfall at intense rates over parts of the Northeast, forcing road closures, water rescues and urgent warnings about life-threatening flash floods.

Over 25 million people are under flood alerts across the Northeast on Monday, including parts of New York, Vermont, Massachusetts and Maine – as well as across the country in Washington and Alaska. Flash flood emergencies and landslides are expected, with heavy rainfall continuing throughout the day.

Already, floods have inundated roadways in parts of New York, and Gov. Kathy Hochul has deployed state police and swift water rescue teams as the state braces for more road floods and washouts.

“We are approaching a critical point in this weather event, and New Yorkers must remain vigilant,” Hochul said Sunday night. “Remember: avoid flooded roads, monitor your local forecasts and have an evacuation plan ready if you’re in a danger zone.”

A once-in-a-millennium rainfall event is one that is so intense, the chances of it happening in any given year is just 0.1%.

Reading, Pennsylvania, received 5.35 inches of rain Sunday, shattering its old daily rainfall record of 3.47 inches, set in 1952.

Areas across New England could see 3 to 5 inches of rain Monday, which could bring rainfall totals for this storm up to 12 inches.

A moderate risk, level 3 of 4, of excessive rainfall is in place in New England through early Tuesday. Rainfall totals across the area are expected to range from 3 to 5 inches.

Intense rainfall rates are expected to continue in Vermont and northeastern New York on Monday, according to the National Weather Service. New York could see 1 to 2 inches of rain per hour, the NWS warned.

In Vermont, Gov. Phil Scott declared a state of emergency as the weather service warned flash flooding could become “extremely dangerous.”

Vermont faces a rare high risk of excessive rainfall, which could push isolated storm totals towards 12 inches when combined with the rainfall that already fell across the area over the weekend. “Significant to potentially catastrophic flash flooding is likely, especially in areas that have recently received heavy rainfall,” Vermont transportation officials tweeted.

“The threat is exacerbated by the fact that the ground is already saturated from recent rainfall events,” the National Weather Service said.

Several additional inches of rain falling over the area in a short period of time – over mostly saturated ground – could set the stage for significant flash and river flooding, as well as mud slides, the National Weather Service warned.

“Flash flood warnings mean travel is extremely dangerous. Please, don’t take any chances,” Hochul said. “Stay home, stay off the roads, and stay safe.”

Millions of New York City residents were under a flood watch Sunday through 6 a.m. Monday.

New York City’s Emergency Management Department cautioned residents living in basement apartments “to be prepared to move to higher ground.” Heavy rains continuing through Monday morning “may cause rapid flooding to basements with little to no notice and can be life threatening,” an alert from the agency sent Sunday afternoon reads.

When torrential rain from Hurricane Ida caused flooding in New York City in 2021, most of the homes where residents were found dead were illegally converted basement or cellar apartments, city officials said.

“Do not underestimate the power of fast-moving water,” Hochul said. “Two feet of fast-moving flood water will float your car, and water moving at two miles per hour can sweep cars off a road or bridge.”

Trapped drivers had to swim out of their cars

The town of Cornwall, also in Orange County, issued a “No travel Advisory” Sunday after storms flooded multiple roads, triggered mudslides and forced rescues from stranded cars.

“TRAVEL IS IMPOSSIBLE,” Cornwall emergency officials said on Twitter. “GET TO HIGHER GROUND. IF SAFE, STAY WHERE YOU ARE.”

Over 150 water related call including dozens of water rescues. Currently state fire, Monroe county water rescue, Ontario county water rescue and several other agencies are assisting. pic.twitter.com/bvNMKjPkKd

— Canandaigua Fire (@IAFF2098) July 10, 2023

In nearby Rockland County, New York State Police reported “numerous motorists stranded” due to flooding in the area.

Firefighters in Canandaigua in Ontario County, New York, received over 150 water related calls and performed dozens of rescues, Canandaigua Fire officials tweeted Sunday, sharing a photo of people kayaking through water deluged streets.

Across state lines, eastern Pennsylvania also saw “significant” flash flooding Sunday afternoon, according to the National Weather Service. The Fleetwood Police Department shared images of deluged roadways in Berks County and urged residents to avoid all travel, adding that crews were out responding to rescues and flooded basements Sunday.