In Photos: Ida’s heavy rain floods roads, subways in New York and Philadelphia
By Staff
Global News
Posted September 2, 2021 11:51 am EST
Updated September 2, 2021 7:37 pm EST
2 min read
This article is more than 3 years old and some information may not be up to date.
WATCH: A massive rescue and recovery operation is underway in the U.S. East Coast, after remnants of Hurricane Ida hammered the region with tornadoes and record rains. Jackson Proskow reports from Philadelphia on the storm's destructive path, the rising death toll, and the fear of what lies ahead – Sep 2, 2021
Flooding killed at least 30 people, swept away cars, submerged subway lines and temporarily grounded flights in New York and New Jersey as the remnants of Hurricane Ida brought torrential rains to parts of the Northeastern United States.
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Waves slam along the shore near high tide as the remnants of Hurricane Ida leave coastal Massachusetts, Thursday, Sept. 2, 2021, in Scituate, Mass. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa).
AP Photo/Charles Krupa
Basement apartments suddenly filled with water, rivers and creeks swelled to record levels and roadways turned into car-swallowing canals. Eight people died when they became trapped in flooded basements, New York City police said.
Five people were found dead in an apartment complex in Elizabeth, New Jersey, the city’s mayor and a spokesperson told local media. Outside Philadelphia, officials reported “multiple fatalities,” saying no additional details were immediately available.
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Damage to the side of a building from the remnants of Hurricane Ida is shown on Thursday, Sept. 2, 2021 in the Queens borough of New York. Three people were killed when several feet of water collapsed the wall to their basement apartment and flooded the apartment. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan).
AP Photo/Mark Lennihan
The ferocious storm also spawned tornadoes, including one that ripped apart homes and toppled silos in Mullica Hill, New Jersey, south of Philadelphia.
HOBOKEN, NJ – SEPTEMBER 2: A man falls off his bike into a flooded street the morning after the remnants of Hurricane Ida drenched the New York City and New Jersey area on September 2, 2021 in Hoboken, New Jersey. (Photo by Gary Hershorn/Getty Images).
Photo by Gary Hershorn/Getty Images
Images posted on social media overnight showed water gushing into basement apartments.
Water from record rainfall cascaded into New York City subway tunnels, trapping at least 17 trains and forcing the cancelation of service throughout the night and early morning.
NEW YORK, NY – SEPTEMBER 02: Commuters walk into a flooded 3rd Avenue / 149th st subway station and disrupted service due to extremely heavy rainfall from the remnants of Hurricane Ida on September 2, 2021, in New York City. Multiple fatalities have been reported in the region as the storm passed through New York City, dumping 3.15 inches of rain in the span of an hour in Central Park and causing massive flooding in Brooklyn. (Photo by David Dee Delgado/Getty Images).
Photo by David Dee Delgado/Getty Images
Videos online showed riders standing on seats in cars filled with water. All riders were evacuated safely, officials said.
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In New York City, officials banned travel for all but emergency vehicles until early Thursday and warned against unnecessary travel into the morning.
A subway station that had earlier flooded remains closed after a state of emergency was declared in New York Thursday, Sept 2, 2021, as the remnants of Hurricane Ida remained powerful as it moved along the Eastern seaboard. (AP Photo/Craig Ruttle).
AP Photo/Craig Ruttle
The FDR Drive in Manhattan, and the Bronx River Parkway was underwater during the storm. Garbage bobbed in the water rushing down streets. Some subway and rail service had resumed Thursday morning.
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HOBOKEN, NJ – SEPTEMBER 2: A man cleans up garbage from a flooded street the morning after the remnants of Hurricane Ida drenched the New York City and New Jersey area on September 2, 2021 in Hoboken, New Jersey. (Photo by Gary Hershorn/Getty Images).
Photo by Gary Hershorn/Getty Images
The National Weather Service office in New York issued its first-ever set of flash flood emergencies in the region Wednesday night, alerts only sent in the most dangerous conditions.
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 that hit the area. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke).
AP Photo/Matt Rourke
Rescues took place all over New York City as its 8.8 million people saw much worse flooding than from Henri.
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The lights of Times Square in New York are reflected in standing water Thursday, Sept 2, 2021, as Hurricane Ida left behind not just water on city streets but wind damage and severe flooding along the Eastern seaboard. (AP Photo/Craig Ruttle).
AP Photo/Craig Ruttle
Scientists have warned such weather extremes will be more common with man-made global warming.
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— With files from The Associated Press and Reuters