More than 40 people have drowned in their homes and cars after Hurricane Ida ravaged the U.S East Coast, a report said.
The storm claimed the lives of 46 people in Maryland and Connecticut, a region warned against flash flooding but not prepared for the worst.
Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy said that at least 23 people were killed in New Jersey. Phil Murphy stated. Police said that at least 13 people died in New York City. 11 of these deaths were in basement apartments. These are often relatively affordable housing in one of America’s most expensive housing markets. Three deaths were reported in Suburban Westchester County.
Officials claim at least five people were killed in Pennsylvania. One was struck by a tree, and another drowned after helping his wife escape. Brian Mohl, a Connecticut state police sergeant, died after his cruiser was destroyed. Maryland also reported another death.
Meteorologists stated that Ida’s soggy remnants combined with a stormfront and flooded the Interstate 95 corridor. Similar weather has occurred before with hurricanes, but experts believe it was slightly worsened by climate change. Warmer air holds more rain, and urban settings where the pavement is thicker, prevent water from seeping into the ground.
Since Tuesday, the National Hurricane Center has warned of the possibility of major river flooding and flash flooding in New England and the mid-Atlantic region.
Still, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and Bill de Blasio, New York City Mayor, said that the storm’s strength caught them off guard.
Wednesday’s storm dumped more than 9 inches (23 cm), of rain in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Massachusetts, as well as nearly the same amount on Staten Island, New York City.
President Joe Biden assured Northeast residents of federal first responders being on the ground to clean up after the storm, the report added.
Ida struck Louisiana on Sunday as the fifth-strongest storm to ever hit the U.S. mainland, leaving 1 million people without power, maybe for weeks.
