Hurricane Ida brings floods to Northeast U.S.

New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Connecticut residents have faced flooding due to Hurricane Ida. Although miles away from Louisiana, where the hurricane first landed, the Northeast received heavy storms as the hurricane moved inland. At least 44 people were confirmed dead by Thursday following heavy flooding from record-breaking storms.

In New York, the hurricane unleashed torrential rainfall that caused flash floods. Streets turned into rivers, sweeping away cars and other items along the way. Many flights were also grounded, including 370 canceled flights at New Jersey’s Newark Liberty Airport.

Related: Louisiana dealing with the aftermath of Hurricane Ida

As New York City mayor Bill de Blasio told CNN on Friday, “This is a new world” that requires “entirely different responses.”

Many residents in the Northeast were left in the dark after the floods interrupted power supplies. In New York City, at least 13 people were confirmed dead from the floods; this is in addition to three more confirmed deaths in Westchester County. In New Jersey, Governor Phil Murphy confirmed the death of at least 23 people. The situation was so dire that President Joe Biden declared a state of emergency for New York and New Jersey, ordering federal assistance to reinforce local efforts.

Hurricane Ida first landed in Louisiana, where it claimed lives and destroyed property. The storms resulting from Ida led to an hourly rainfall record of 3.15 inches in Manhattan, breaking the previous record set two weeks earlier.

According to weather officials in New York, the heavy floods are not a result of total daily rainfall but high-volume rainfall in a short span. While commenting on the matter, Kathy Hochul, New York’s newly inaugurated governor, said that climate change is a situation that we will have to deal with for a while.

“Because of climate change, unfortunately, this is something we’re going to have to deal with great regularity,” said Hochul.

Via CNN and Reuters

Images via Pixabay