At least 15 people killed in catastrophic US northeast floods

At least 15 people killed in catastrophic US northeast floods
At least 15 people killed in catastrophic US northeast floods
Avatar of Harry Johnson
Written by Harry Johnson

By midday, nearly 20 fatalities had been confirmed, with several deaths reported in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and one in Maryland.

  • US northeast savaged by massive floods.
  • Hurricane Ida remnants cut a deadly path through the northeast United States.
  • New York and New Jersey governors declare state of emergency.

Massive rainfall battered the New York City metro area Wednesday night into Thursday, leading to numerous fatalities, as the remnants of Hurricane Ida cut a deadly path across the northeast United States.

0a1a 8 | eTurboNews | eTN

New York Governor Kathy Hochul declared a state of emergency as remnants of Ida caused enormous flooding in New York City and other parts of the state.

New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy had also declared a state of emergency in response to Ida, as did New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio earlier in the night.

The death toll rose throughout the day Thursday as officials began to grasp the scope of the devastation. By midday, nearly 20 fatalities had been confirmed, with several deaths reported in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and one in Maryland.

Three of the fatalities occurred in a single household the New York City borough of Queens. The three family members, including the 2-year-old boy, drowned in the neighborhood of Flushing. Two others were killed in the neighborhood of Jamaica when flooding collapsed the wall of their home.

Another four deaths occurred at an apartment complex in Elizabeth, New Jersey, The AP reported. Elizabeth’s mayor had previously reported five fatalities from the complex.

In the greater Philadelphia area, at least three fatalities had been confirmed by officials, including one death of a woman who was struck by a falling tree in Upper Dublin Township.

In Rockville, Maryland, a 19-year-old man was killed in the flooding at the Rock Creek Woods Apartments on Twinbrook Parkway. According to Fox5, the man was trying to assist his mother when he was swept away.

There were also multiple fatalities of people in cars, a tragic fate that also accounted for the death of at least one driver in Passaic, New Jersey. As floodwaters rushed through streets in the city, a 70-year-old motorist was swept away after his family was rescued.

Such a historic weather event also triggered the National Weather Service (NWS) New York office to issue its first-ever flash flood emergency alerts, as one was issued for northern New Jersey and then another was issued for parts of New York City. The alert is reserved for life-threatening flooding situations, and is used for “exceedingly rare situations when extremely heavy rain is leading to a severe threat to human life and catastrophic damage,” the NWS said.

About the author

Avatar of Harry Johnson

Harry Johnson

Harry Johnson has been the assignment editor for eTurboNews for mroe than 20 years. He lives in Honolulu, Hawaii, and is originally from Europe. He enjoys writing and covering the news.

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