At least 23 people died in New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania due to the remnants of Hurricane Ida, as it stormed through the tri-state area Wednesday night.
Nine of the confirmed fatalities included a 2-year-old boy, 45-, 86- and 48-year-old women and 50- and 22-year-old men in Queens and a 66-year-old man in Brooklyn. Details on the ninth New York City victim were unclear.
The other 14 confirmed deaths were in New Jersey. At least four bodies were found in Elizabeth’s Oakwood Plaza Apartments complex. Those deceased included three family members — a 72-year-old woman, her 71-year-old husband and their 38-year-old son — and a 33-year-old neighbor.
Record rainfall flooded subway tunnels in New York City, trapping at least 17 trains and triggering service cancellations throughout the night and early morning. Riders were seen standing on seats in automobiles filled with water in videos posted on the internet. Officials stated that all passengers were safely evacuated.
The National Weather Service said 3.15 inches (8.91 centimeters) of rain poured in Central Park in one hour on Wednesday night, significantly above the previous record of 1.94 inches (4.92 centimeters) during Hurricane Henri on Aug. 21. Scientists have warned that as a result of man-made global warming, such weather extremes will become more prevalent.
Just South of Philadelphia in Mullica Hill, New Jersey, a tornado ripped through homes and destroyed silos.
In the Philadelphia area, major flooding along the Schuylkill River flooded highways, submerged cars, and interrupted rail service. As river levels continue to climb, local officials projected a “historic flooding” on Thursday in a tweet. Manayunk, a riverside village, was largely submerged.
The rain had stopped by this morning in the tri-state area, as rescuers sought additional stranded persons and prepared for the possibility of finding more bodies.
New York Mayor Bill de Blasio said while declaring a state of emergency in New York City late Wednesday, “We’re enduring a historic weather event tonight with record-breaking rain across the city, brutal flooding, and dangerous conditions on our roads.”
Police in Woodbury, Connecticut, was looking into a complaint of a person missing as a result of the floods. After his family was rescued from their car in Passaic, New Jersey, a 70-year-old man got swept away.
Officials in New York City have restricted all but essential vehicles from traveling until early this morning, and have advised against unnecessary travel. During the hurricane, the Bronx River Parkway and FDR Drive in Manhattan were both underwater. Garbage bobbed up and down the streets as the water rushed by. On Thursday morning, some subway and train service was restored.
This marks a two-week period of devastation across the country. Wildfires are threatening Lake Tahoe, Tropical Storm Henri wreaked havoc in the Northeast, and Hurricane Ida wreaked havoc in Louisiana, leaving 1 million people without electricity.
The hurricane season in the Atlantic is far from over. Larry was upgraded to a hurricane on Thursday morning and is expected to quickly grow into a possibly devastating Category 4 storm by Sunday. It is traveling west, according to the National Hurricane Center in Miami.
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