At least thirteen people have lost their lives after storm Ida hit New York with extreme flash flooding and tornadoes.
Several people were trapped in flooded basements at their homes. One person was found dead in a vehicle that was swept away by the flood.
New York City and New Jersey governors declared a state of emergency, while Bill de Blasio, the Mayor of the city of New York called the phenomenon a 'historic weather event'.
I’m declaring a state of emergency in New York City tonight.
— Mayor Bill de Blasio (@NYCMayor) September 2, 2021
We’re enduring an historic weather event tonight with record breaking rain across the city, brutal flooding and dangerous conditions on our roads.
Eight centimetres (3 inches) of rain covered Central Park in just one hour.
Almost every New York City subway line has been closed, while all apart from emergency vehicles are banned from roads. Trains and flights out of the city have also been suspended.
Hector Lora, Mayor of Passaic in New Jersey, told CNN that a dead man's body in his 70s was recovered from a vehicle that was swept away.
One more has died in New Jersey, according to NBC New York. It has also been reported that seven people had lost their life in New York, some as a result of becoming trapped in their basements. Among the victims in New York was a two-year-old boy.
Footage posted on social media shows water pouring into subway stations and people's homes.
Flash floods hit New York City as the remnants of Hurricane Ida battered the region with rain and subway stations were flooded. pic.twitter.com/lOnXGtsVJ1
— USA TODAY (@USATODAY) September 2, 2021
George Bailey, a resident in New York, told the BBC:
"Right in the middle of dinner I hear gurgling, and the water's coming up out of the shower drain in our bathroom. I went to check the main water line in the utility room, and by the time I walked back into the living room there was nearly a foot of water. It was incredible how fast it came through."
[h/t: BBC]
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