At least 45 people died in the Northeast on Wednesday and Thursday, as the remnants of Hurricane Ida brought torrential rain to the region that triggered extraordinary flooding.
The deaths were reported in New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, and Maryland. New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy (D) said 23 people were killed in his state, most of them in cars that were overtaken by flood waters. During a Thursday news conference, he asked residents to "please stay off the roads. We're not out of this yet." Rep. Tom Malinowski (D-N.J.) said the extreme rains and flooding should be "a wake-up call. Anybody who believes that it's too expensive to stop climate change ... has got to wake up to the fact that we cannot afford not to."
In New York, 15 people died, including 12 in New York City. Amid a rare flash-flood emergency, water flooded the city's streets, subway stations, and basement and ground floor apartments. Two busy roadways — Manhattan's FDR Drive and the Bronx River Parkway — were underwater on Wednesday night, and Central Park set a record when the National Weather Service determined 3.15 inches of rain fell in the park in just one hour. Less than two weeks ago, Tropical Storm Henri drenched New York, dropping a then-record 1.94 inches of rain in Central Park in an hour.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Ida made landfall early Sunday afternoon in Louisiana as a Category 4 hurricane. At least nine deaths related to the storm were recorded in Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama, and the states are all now slowly trying to recover from Ida, which destroyed homes, businesses, and schools, and has left hundreds of thousands without electricity. The center of Ida was 100 miles east of Massachusetts on Thursday night and moving northeast.
-
Trump says he's firing Federal Reserve Governor Lisa CookSpeed Read The move is likely part of Trump's push to get the central bank to cut interest rates
-
Broken brains: The social price of digital lifeFeature A new study shows that smartphones and streaming services may be fueling a sharp decline in responsibility and reliability in adults
-
'Mankeeping': Why women are fed upFeature Women no longer want to take on the full emotional and social needs of their partners
-
Massive earthquake sends tsunami across PacificSpeed Read Hundreds of thousands of people in Japan and Hawaii were told to evacuate to higher ground
-
FEMA Urban Search and Rescue chief resignsSpeed Read Ken Pagurek has left the organization, citing 'chaos'
-
Wildfires destroy historic Grand Canyon lodgeSpeed Read Dozens of structures on the North Rim have succumbed to the Dragon Bravo Fire
-
Search for survivors continues after Texas floodsSpeed Read A total of 82 people are confirmed dead, including 28 children
-
EPA is reportedly killing Energy Star programspeed read The program for energy-efficient home appliances has saved consumers billions in energy costs since its 1992 launch
-
US proposes eroding species protectionsSpeed Read The Trump administration wants to change the definition of 'harm' in the Environmental Protection Act to allow habitat damage
-
Severe storms kill dozens across central USSpeed Read At least 40 people were killed over the weekend by tornadoes, wildfires and dust storms
-
Rain helps Los Angeles wildfires, risks mudslidesSpeed Read The weather provided relief for crews working to contain wildfires, though rain over a burn area ups the chances of flooding and mudslides
