FloodsAt Least 23 Killed in Flooding in New York City, New Jersey

Authorities say at least 23 people have died across New York City and New Jersey as a result of the historic flash flooding caused by the weather system formerly known as Hurricane Ida, which struck the northeastern United States just three days after devastating much of the southeastern state of Louisiana. 

The storm dumped so much rain in New York City that the local National Weather Service issued its first flash flood emergency for the iconic metropolis and the neighboring city of Newark, New Jersey. The service posted a record-setting 8 centimeters of rain in New York’s famous Central Park in just one hour, and many streets were quickly turned into rivers, leaving cars and even commuter buses submerged. 

The city’s subway system was so badly flooded that the Metropolitan Transportation Authority shut down all but one of its lines.  

More than 8 centimeters of rain was also recorded at Newark’s Liberty International Airport, forcing officials to suspend all flight activity, and the air traffic control tower was temporarily evacuated due to a tornado warning. Parts of the airport were flooded, forcing officials to move passengers to higher floors. Governor Phil Murphy has issued a state of emergency for all of New Jersey. 

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio issued a state of emergency for the city, including a travel ban for all nonemergency vehicles until 5 a.m. local time, while New York state Governor Kathy Hochul issued a similar decree for the entire state. 

Flash flooding was also reported in the neighboring states of Pennsylvania, with reports of water rescues and evacuations from several small towns. Tornado warnings were issued for parts of New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Delaware, while as many as 230,000 people were left without power in Pennsylvania, New York and New Jersey. 

The storm system also struck parts of the nearby state of Maryland, where at least one person was killed and another person was missing after heavy rains flooded an apartment complex in the city of Rockville, located just outside of Washington, D.C. A tornado also struck a section of Annapolis, Maryland’s state capital. 

Ida has been downgraded to a post-tropical cyclone after coming ashore Sunday as a Category 4 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 240 kilometers an hour, making it one of the most powerful storms to ever strike the mainland United States.

Electricity is slowly being restored to the tourist city of New Orleans after Ida damaged or destroyed eight electric transmission lines that provide power to the city and much of southern Louisiana. State authorities and regional utility company Entergy have said it could be as long as 30 days before power is fully restored, leaving residents without air conditioning to spare them from the area’s searing late-summer heat, as well as food and running water. Residents across the region have been waiting in long lines for hours at gas stations to get the fuel needed to run the portable electric generators to provide some electricity for their homes. 

Both Governor John Bel Edwards and New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell have urged residents who evacuated ahead of Ida’s arrival to stay away during the crisis.  

U.S. President Joe Biden is scheduled to visit Louisiana Friday to get a firsthand look at the damage.  

This article is published courtesy of the Voice of America (VOA).