The governors of New York and New Jersey declared a state of emergency, on Wednesday, as record-breaking rains from tropical storm Ida led to flooding and hazardous conditions on the roads, with media reporting at least nine deaths.
The National Weather Service issued a flash flood emergency in New York City for the first time. “I am declaring a state of emergency to help New Yorkers affected by tonight’s storm,” New York Governor Kathy Hochul said on Twitter. For the first time ever, the National Weather Service issued also a Flood Flood Emergency for about 9.1 million New Yorkers considered at risk, urging them to find higher ground.
Ida swept through New Jersey’s Gloucester County, damaging multiple homes. New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy also declared a state of emergency in New Jersey. He wrote on Twitter that 81,740 power outages were reported on Wednesday.
At least one person was killed as the flooding inundated the New Jersey city, Mayor Hector Lora stated to the press. The body of a man in his seventies was retrieved from floodwaters. The vehicle the man was riding in was swept away by the water.
Local media reported that one more person had died in New Jersey and seven had died in New York City, including a 2-year-old boy, and people had been trapped in their basements as the storm sent water surging through the city.
Nearly all New York City subway lines were suspended late on Wednesday as the storm of Ida brought torrential rain and the threat of flash floods and tornadoes. All non-emergency vehicles were banned from New York City’s streets until 5 a.m. local time, on Thursday, due to the weather, city authorities declared on Twitter.
New Jersey state suspended all Transit rail services except the Atlantic City Rail Line due to the extreme weather, the state service said on its website.
As First responders are evacuating people from the subway system, the acting chair and CEO of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, Janno Lieber, urged people to stay off the streets.
“Please stay off the streets tonight and let our first responders and emergency services get their work done. If you’re thinking of going outside, don’t. Stay off the subways. Stay off the roads. Don’t drive into these heavy waters. Stay inside”, he wrote on Twitter.
Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Administrator Deanne Criswell said, in a press statement, she briefed President Biden’s team on the effects from Ida.
She added FEMA teams will be surveying damage and assisting with any long-term recovery efforts. “Ida is going to continue. She’s been leaving her track across the country, and so we’re still not out of the woods. We’re still seeing some impacts up in the New England area,” Criswell stated.
The storm had hit the southern US states of Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida, on Sunday, causing widespread power outages and killing at least six people. Reconnaissance flights, on Wednesday, revealed entire communities devastated by winds and floods in Southern Louisiana, as officials continued to assess the damage.
The storm invoked memories of Superstorm Sandy. In 2012, Sandy storm swept across the Atlantic and caused widespread devastation in New York City, New Jersey, and the surrounding areas.
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