Storm Ida: Dozens killed in flooding as month's worth of rain falls across parts of US
Storm Ida unleashes a month's worth of rain in one day in parts of the US and has left a trail of deaths and destructions, ITV News Correspondent Dan Rivers reports
At least 58 people, including a two-year-old child, have been killed in the United States after Storm Ida hit with a month's worth of rain.
A state of emergency has been declared in New York City and the states of New Jersey, West Virginia and Virginia after the east coast was hit by record rainfall from the remnants of Hurricane Ida.
At least 16 people died in New York City, police said, one of them in a car and eight in flooded basement apartments that often serve as affordable homes.
At least 23 died in New Jersey, five of who were found dead in an apartment complex in Elizabeth.
In Pennsylvania’s suburban Montgomery county, one person was killed by a falling tree, one drowned in a car and another drowned in a home.
Footage shows heavy rain from Storm Ida floods a subway line in New York
Deaths also occurred in the states of Alabama, Connecticut, Louisiana, Maryland and Mississippi.
An on-duty police officer in Connecticut was swept away in his car and taken to a hospital, authorities said.President Joe Biden said his administration is “ready to provide all the assistance that’s needed” in response to Hurricane Ida and a massive wildfire in California.
The president, who is set to visit Louisiana on Friday, said he was receiving hourly updates on the disaster response.
Mr Biden said he had directed the Department of Energy to use the Strategic Petroleum Reserve to ensure the steady supply of fuel to the region.
The Pentagon is also assisting with a massive wildfire in California.
The president said the crises are “yet another reminder that these extreme storms and the climate crisis are here”.
“It’s a matter of life and death, and we’re all in it together,” he added.
Mayor Hector Lora said a 70-year-old man was swept away by floods and drowned in Passaic, New Jersey.
“His family was rescued, they were all in the same car. Unfortunately, the car was overtaken by the waters, and the firefighters who were being dragged down under the vehicle were unable to get him out,” Mr Lora told WCBS-TV.
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said on Wednesday the city was "enduring an historic weather event", as heavy downpours flooded subway lines and streets in Manhattan and Brooklyn.
Three people, including a two-year-old child, died in a basement apartment in New York City’s Queens borough.
Deborah Torres, who lives on the first floor of that building, said water rapidly filled her own apartment to her knees. The landlord frantically urged her neighbors below to get out, she said.
“I have no words,” she said. “How can something like this happen? And the worst is that there’s a family downstairs with a baby, and they couldn’t get out.”
Meanwhile, a tornado destroyed at least nine homes in Mullica Hill, just outside of Philadelphia.
A fast-moving tornado in Bristol, Pennsylvania
By daybreak on Thursday morning the rain had cleared, leaving rescuers to search for more stranded people and braced for potentially finding more bodies.
In New York City, subway stations and tracks became so flooded that all service was stopped. Videos posted online showed subway riders standing on seats in cars filled with water.
Janno Lieber, the CEO of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, said at least 17 trains were stranded between stations overnight. All of the riders were evacuated safely, he told TV station NY1 on Thursday.
Some subway lines and trains were running again on Thursday morning.
Severe rainfall has triggered flash floods across New York state
Credit: victoria
The downpours were so intense that it led to the the National Weather Service (NWS) issuing its first ever flash flood warning for the city of New York.
The NWS recorded 3.15 inches of rain in Central Park in one hour, far exceeding the 1.94 inches that fell in one hour during Tropical Storm Henri on August 22, which was thought then to be a record in the park.
In neighbouring New Jersey, Governor Phil Murphy declared a state of emergency in all 21 counties, urging people to stay off the flooded roads. Meteorologists warned that river levels will not peak for several days, meaning the threat of widespread flooding remains.
Newark International Airport shut on Wednesday night due to the weather but was allowing limited flights Thursday morning.
Streets of New York City have been submerged by intense downpours
Credit: Joe English
As the storm hit at least 220,000 customers were without power, largely in New Jersey and Pennsylvania, with 35,000 still without power on Thursday morning in New York City, Long Island and its northern suburbs.
Southern New England woke up to flooded roads, commuter delays and an ongoing flash flood warning on Thursday.
A section of Route 24 in southeastern Massachusetts was shut down because of water on the highway, and in Portsmouth, Rhode Island, a road crumbled under the onslaught of rain.
Parts of Johnstown, Pennsylvania, where 2,200 people died after a dam failed in 1889, were evacuated for a time on Wednesday after water reached dangerous levels at a dam near the city. An official said later on Wednesday that the water levels near the dam were receding.
In Rockville, Maryland, water had almost reached the ceilings of basement units on Wednesday when crews arrived at an apartment complex.
A 19-year-old was found dead, another person was missing and about 200 people from 60 apartments near Rock Creek were displaced, Montgomery County Fire Chief Scott Goldstein said on Wednesday.
A tornado was believed to have touched down along the Chesapeake Bay in Maryland.
“In many years I have not seen circumstances like this,” Mr Goldstein said.
Before being downgraded to a storm, Hurricane Ida had already ravaged the power grid in Louisiana on Sunday, leaving thousands of residents in the dark with no clear timeline on when power would return.
An ongoing power outage after the storm is making the sweltering summer unbearable in New Orleans.
In Jefferson Parish, authorities on Wednesday were still waiting for floodwaters to recede enough for lorries carrying food, water and repair supplies to begin moving into Lafitte and other low-lying communities.
Hurricane season in the Atlantic Ocean is far from over.
Tropical Storm Larry was strengthening and moving quickly westward after forming off the coast of Africa earlier on Wednesday.
Forecasters predicted its winds would rapidly intensify to 125 mph (201 kph) by Tuesday, but remain well away from land.