Hurricane Ida kills at least ten across North East including family of three with two-year-old boy: 'Historic weather event' paralyzes tri-state area as flash floods fill homes, subways and streets with feet of water
- New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Maryland were slammed with floods on Wednesday night
- At least ten people are confirmed dead with many more missing - 8 people died in NYC, one died in Maryland and one died in New Jersey
- Among the dead is a two-year-old boy who got trapped in a basement apartment in Woodside, Queens
- He was found with relatives - a 48-year-old woman and 50-year-old man - who had also drowned
- In Passaic, New Jersey, a man in his seventies died in his car when it became overrun with water on the road
- A 19-year-old man died in Maryland when the Rock Creek River burst its banks and flooded nearby homes
- Ida has now claimed more lives in New York City and the tri-state area than in Louisiana
- The first warnings in NYC went out at 7.20pm - by 10pm, the NYPD was recovering dead bodies from homes
- All NYC subway lines were suspended last night - some are now running but on an extremely limited service
- Wednesday was the first time the MTA has ever issued a flash flood emergency in New York City
- The rain in New York City has stopped but a flood warning is in effect until 10am EST
- United Airlines is temporarily suspending all of its flights out of Newark on Thursday At least ten people have been killed in the Northeast, including a family of three with a two-year-old boy who drowned in a New York City basement, after the tail-end of Hurricane Ida crept up on the tri-state area on Wednesday night bringing a month's worth of rain in less than a day, flooding homes while people slept and tearing up parts of New Jersey with tornadoes.
Eight people were killed in New York City as waters rushed into basement apartments, uprooted cars and sent them slamming into buildings in Brooklyn and Queens. In Passaic, New Jersey, a man in his seventies died in his car after it became submerged. A 19-year-old man died in Maryland when the Rock Creek River burst its banks and flooded nearby homes.
The two-year-old in New York City was found dead alongside a 48-year-old woman and 50-year-old man in an apartment in Woodside, Queens. They had all become trapped in their basement apartment. They were among the eight dead in New York City, which also includes an 86-year-old woman who died in her basement apartment in Elmhurst, Queens.
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio declared a state of emergency on Wednesday night as a result of what he called a 'historic weather event', after New Jersey governor Phil Murphy and New York governor Kathy Hochul had issued the same warning in their respective states earlier in the day.
More people have now been found dead in New York City from Ida than in Louisiana, which had days to prepare for the storm. The first warnings came at around 7pm and by 10pm, the NYPD was recovering dead bodies from basement homes.
The National Weather Service's office in New York issued a Flash Flood Emergency for New York City for the first time ever - warning people to seek high ground immediately. The 'Emergency' warning is the highest level of flood alert - indicating immediate and significant threats to life and property.
The latest updates from Ida's devastating impact on the North East include;
- Eight people died in New York City - all were in basement apartments in Brooklyn and Queens. The youngest was a two-year-old boy and the oldest was an 86-year-old woman
- A 19-year-old man died in Maryland when his apartment flooded and a man in his 70s in New Jersey died in his car when it became submerged on the road
- 85,000 people are without power in New York and New Jersey including 25,000 in NYC
- The entire MTA subway system was suspended and brought back on an extremely limited service on Thursday morning
- United Airlines suspended all flights out of Newark on Thursday morning
- AMTRAK canceled all service between Boston and Philadelphia
MANHATTAN, NEW YORK CITY: A cascade of water is seen pouring into a New York City train station at 28th Street station in Kip's Bay, a neighborhood in downtown Manhattan. A flash flood emergency was declared in New York City for the first time ever on Wednesday as Ida slammed the northeast after wreaking havoc in southern states for days
QUEENS, NEW YORK CITY: Members of the FDNY are pictured in waist-high water as they rescue a woman from her car
Basement apartments all over New York City, New Jersey and Pennsylvania flooded on Wednesday when the storm hit
QUEENS, NEW YORK CITY: Members of the FDNY are pictured in waist-high water as they rescue a woman from her car
Basement apartments all over New York City, New Jersey and Pennsylvania flooded on Wednesday when the storm hit
Floodwater rises up around cars in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, on Thursday after Hurricane Ida tore through the city unexpectedly
A food delivery driver in New York City wades through knee-deep flood water on Wednesday night as Ida slams the city
Central Park Lake flooded into Bethesda Terrace on Wednesday night. This was the view at the iconic fountain on Thursday morning
The Bronx River Parkway overflowed its banks in Westchester and The Bronx. Shown above, White Plaints on Thursday
'This particular warning for NYC is the second time we've ever issued a Flash Flood Emergency. (It's the first one for NYC). The first time we've issued a Flash Flood Emergency was for Northeast New Jersey an hour ago,' the agency tweeted.
Across New York and New Jersey, there are now 85,000 people without power, including 25,000 in New York City.
All New York City subway lines were suspended on Wednesday night and non-emergency vehicles were banned until 5am Thursday. The MTA is now running an extremely limited subway lines.
The city suspended the subway and banned all non-emergency vehicles from the roads until 5am, after 3.15 inches of rain were recorded at Central Park in just one hour.
New York's flash flood emergency warning now means more than 60 million people throughout the northeast are under flash flood watches while Ida continues to devastate the area. At 2am on Thursday morning, 112,000 were without power in Pennsylvania; 51,000 in New York; 82,000 in New Jersey; and 36,000 in Connecticut.
'These numbers are climbing. Charge your devices and if you experience an outage – call it in immediately,' Murphy tweeted.
Having tracked up the east coast of the United States leaving a trail of devastation in her wake, Ida is now whipping towards the city of Boston.
The storm moved east in the evening, with the National Weather Service confirming at least one tornado and social media posts showing homes blown to rubble and roofs torn from buildings in a southern New Jersey county just outside Philadelphia.
Newark Airport reported four inches of rain in a two hour period, as the baggage area of the airport flooded.
The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which operates the airport, said in a statement that all flights were suspended and all parking lots were closed due to severe flooding.
Videos from the airport's baggage room showed water spraying up like a geyser while workers stood in the flood waters.
New Jersey also suspended some of its NJ Transit train lines and buses.
'We're enduring an historic weather event tonight with record breaking rain across the city, brutal flooding and dangerous conditions on our roads,' NYC mayor Bill de Blasio tweeted.'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.'
The NYC Office of Emergency Management (OEM) issued a travel ban around 12:50 am preventing all non-emergency vehicles from travelling on city streets and highways until 5am.
Earlier, OEM had closed access to the Bronx Whitestone Bridge for some types of vehicles. The bridge is a major access point between the New York City boroughs of Queens and the Bronx, and commuting between Long Island and New England.
BURLINGTON, NEW JERSEY: A tornado is seen at the Burlington Bristol Bridge near the state border with Pennsylvania
A person walks in floodwaters in Philadelphia, Thursday, Sept. 2, 2021 in the aftermath of downpours and high winds from the remnants of Hurricane Ida that hit the area
Vehicles are under water during flooding in Philadelphia, Thursday, Sept. 2, 2021 in the aftermath of downpours and high winds from the remnants of Hurricane Ida
Shown is flooding in the Manayunk section of Philadelphia, Thursday, Sept. 2, 2021 in the aftermath of downpours and high winds from the remnants of Hurricane Ida that hit the area
The National Weather Service's office in New York issued a Flash Flood Emergency for New York City for the first time ever
Ida will likely be a tropical rainstorm by the time it reaches the Northeast on Wednesday. Even after it moves off the New England coast later Thursday, residents across the Northeast may still feel the storm's wrath in the days that follow. Many major metropolitan areas, including Boston, New York City, Philadelphia and Washington, D.C. are under flash flood watch
LAMBERTVILLE, NEW JERSEY: Cars are seen nearly completely submerged as the storm hit the northeast on Wednesday night
QUEENS, NEW YORK CITY: A homeless man stands in the doorway of a deli during flash flooding caused by storm Ida
Queens Boulevard in the neighborhoods of Maspeth and Corona was described as 'a literal river' and shocking video shows water flooding a Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) bus while multiple cars were stuck in the water.
'Hero bus driver managed to get us safely through the 3-4 feet of rain coursing down the boulevard, but only seemed to be getting worse,' tweeted Joe English, who works in the press office for UNICEF.
'Finally made it through to higher ground and a fellow passenger exclaims 'oh no I missed my stop'.'
The MTA noted on its website that nearly all train lines have been suspended, except for the 7 train and the Staten Island Railway - which have been delayed.
'Train service may be extremely limited tonight because of heavy rainfall and flooding across the region. We strongly recommend you avoid traveling at this time, if you can,' the agency said.
QUEENS, NEW YORK: Cars attempt to navigate their way through flooded streets
BAYONNE CITY, NEW JERSEY: Cars sit sunken on Highway 440 after a flash flood
FLUSHING, NEW YORK: A golf cart drives through flood water outside Louis Armstrong Stadium on day three of the U.S. Open
BROOKLYN, NEW YORK CITY: A basement floods during the aftermath of Ida as it dumps two inches of rain in the area
The agency tweeted: 'If you're on a train that's stuck, stay on that train; the safest place to be is on the train unless you hear otherwise from the conductor.'
Emergency crews were working to evacuate passengers from a stuck E train at 74 Street and Broadway/Roosevelt Avenue, according to the @NYCFireWire account on Twitter.
The National Weather Service shared a video of a white SUV floating through flowing water in the Big Apple while warning residents: 'This is perfect example of what you should not do!'
'Notice the white car towards the end that is floating. This water is too deep to drive through. Turn Around Don't Drown!!' the agency tweeted.
Play was also suspended between Diego Schwartzman and Kevin Anderson at Louis Armstrong Stadium during the U.S. Open - despite the venue have a roof - because of wind and rain.
It's nasty out there, Los Angeles Times sports columnist Helene Elliot tweeted.
BRONX, NEW YORK CITY: A street in the Bronx floods as tropical depression Ida dumps two inches of rain in the area
BROOKLYN, NEW YORK CITY: A street in the Bushwick neighborhood is pictured completely flooded on Wednesday
QUEENS, NEW YORK CITY: People stand at a subway entrance as they debate to wade through several inches of water caused flash flooding after remnants of storm Ida brought three inches of rain per hour across the city
QUEENS, NEW YORK CITY: People stand inside a subway station as water runs past their feet during flash flooding caused by storm Ida
BROOKLYN, NEW YORK CITY: Flooding is seen in the Crown Heights neighborhood at the corner Franklin and Eastern Parkway
BROOKLYN, NEW YORK CITY: The water could be seen flowing like a river as a rain poured onto the Crown Heights neighborhood
One video posted to social media purported to show a New York City street rat enjoying a swim in the floodwaters - while another video allegedly showed a man using pool floaties during the storm.
In another video, an apparent GrubHub driver was seen trekking on a bike through flowing flood waters to make a delivery - receiving praise from people on Twitter. Photos also showed other delivery drivers around the city working despite the stor
Parts of northern Nassau County on Long Island were also under tornado warnings, as the National Weather Service advised there could also be hail from thunderstorms.
As the storm continued into Connecticut, flash flooding could be seen on Elm Street in West Haven while several cars seem to be have trouble on the roads, WVIT reporter Matt Austin tweeted. He wrote that West Haven police had put cones to block roads but flowing flood waters could be seen taking the cones away.
In Stamford, a video posted to Twitter shows firefighters and bystanders appearing to try to push a car against uphill against flowing water as other cars line up behind them.
Earlier in the day, Pennsylvania was blanketed with rain after high water drove some from their homes in Maryland and Virginia.
Thousands of people were evacuated Wednesday after water reached dangerous levels at a dam near Johnstown, a Pennsylvania town nicknamed Flood City.
The Cherry City Volunteer Fire Company tweeted that it had rescued 41 passengers from a school bus stuck in flood waters near Pittsburgh, while 10 students were saved from another school bus in western Maryland.
NEW YORK CITY: The National Weather Service shared a video of a white SUV floating through flowing water in the Big Apple
NEW YORK CITY: The National Weather Service noted that cars appeared to be floating in the shocking videos
MANHATTAN, NEW YORK CITY: People are seen walking at Times Square as Ida brought mass flooding and damage
MANHATTAN, NEW YORK CITY: People are seen walking at Times Square as Ida brought dumped rain on the Big Apple
MANHATTAN, NEW YORK CITY: A woman sits on a chair in Times Square as heavy rain hit the city
MANHATTAN, NEW YORK CITY: A food delivery driver rides on a motorized bike as he works during the stormA tornado was also believed to have touched down along the Chesapeake Bay in Maryland.
Ida caused countless school and business closures in Pennsylvania. About 150 roadways maintained by the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation were closed and many smaller roadways also were impassable.
Some areas near Johnstown, whose history includes several deadly floods, saw 5 inches or more of rain by mid-afternoon, an inundation that triggered an evacuation order for those downstream from the Wilmore dam.
Cambria County emergency management director and 911 center head Art Martynuska said the water level at the Wilmore dam reached a height that required evacuation.
A 911 dispatcher in Mantua Township, N.J., told The Weather Channel that people were trapped in their basements and that roofs flew off of homes while there were reports of some severe injuries.
There were also reports of multiple buildings with roofs ripped off, damaged trees and debris blocking roads in the north of Philadelphia. Homes were also damaged in Chester County.
Nearby Hinckston Run Dam was also being monitored but appeared stable by late afternoon, he said, by which time water levels at Wilmore dam were receding.
'If that trend continues we'll be allowing folks to return back to their residences shortly, hopefully by this evening,' Martynuska said.
BRIDGEVILLE, PENNSYLVANIA: Water floods a street amid downpours and high winds from the remnants of Hurricane Ida
Tornados were reported in New Jersey, leaving properties destroyed
ANNAPOLIS, MARYLAND Buildings were destroyed after the city was hit my strong winds
Both dams were considered high-hazard dams that are likely to kill someone were they to fail.
Evacuees were taken to a nearby high school with help from the Red Cross, National Guard, local transit authority and school transportation services, he said.
The National Weather Service had predicted flooding from what remained of Hurricane Ida, saying steep terrain and even city streets were particularly vulnerable to a band of severe weather that extended from the Appalachians into Massachusetts.
Northern Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania and eastern West Virginia were expected to see the highest impacts from the storm's remnants - which has already caused extensive flooding in parts of Louisiana and Mississippi and billions of dollars of damage.
Flash flooding knocked about 20 homes off their foundations and washed several trailers away in Virginia's mountainous western corner, where about 50 people were rescued and hundreds were evacuated. News outlets reported that one person was unaccounted for in the small mountain community of Hurley.
Water had almost reached the ceilings of basement units when crews arrived at an apartment complex in Rockville, Maryland, on Wednesday.
The Cherry City Volunteer Fire Company tweeted that it had rescued 41 passengers from a school bus stuck in flood waters near Pittsburgh
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