At least 44 dead after Hurricane Ida causes havoc in New York
Record rains transformed streets into rivers and shut down subway systems as water cascaded down platforms onto tracks, prompting an unprecedented flash flood emergency alert for New York City.
Flash flooding triggered by Hurricane Ida's leftovers killed at least 44 people in the New York region overnight into Thursday, including some who died in their basements during the "historic" weather disaster blamed on climate change, officials said.
However, according to other media sources, the death toll is about 46. Record rains transformed streets into rivers and shut down subway systems as water cascaded down platforms onto tracks, prompting an unprecedented flash flood emergency alert for New York City.
Hundreds of flights were cancelled at LaGuardia, JFK, and Newark airports, where footage showed a terminal swamped with rainfall. Ahead of a trip to the southern state of Louisiana, President Joe Biden on Friday said the country is ready to help. He is scheduled to visit Louisiana, where Ida had already damaged structures and left over a million households without electricity.Â
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Flooding submerged automobiles and forced the fire department to rescue hundreds of people across New Jersey and New York boroughs, including Manhattan, The Bronx, and Queens. Governor Phil Murphy informed that at least 23 individuals perished in New Jersey.
According to authorities, twelve people died in New York City, including 11 who were unable to leave their basements.  According to a local official, three people perished in the New York suburb of Westchester, while three more died in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, north of Philadelphia. After slamming into Louisiana over the weekend and causing major flooding and tornadoes, Ida burned a path of disaster north. New York and New Jersey proclaimed state emergencies. At the same time, the National Weather Service issued New York City's first-ever emergency flash flood warning, advising citizens to seek higher ground.