WEB DESK
At least eight people have died across New York City and New Jersey as a result of the historic flash flooding caused by the weather system formerly known as Hurricane Ida, which struck the northeastern United States just three days after devastating much of the southeastern state of Louisiana.
According to VOA , the storm dumped so much rain in New York City that the local National Weather Service issued its first flash flood emergency for the iconic metropolis and the neighboring city of Newark, New Jersey. The service posted a record-setting 8 centimeters of rain in New York’s famous Central Park in just one hour, and many streets were quickly turned into rivers, leaving cars and even commuter buses submerged.
The lights of Times Square in New York are reflected in standing water, Sept 2, 2021, as Hurricane Ida left behind not just water on city streets but wind damage and severe flooding along the Eastern seaboard.
The city’s subway system was so badly flooded that the Metropolitan Transportation Authority shut down all but one of its lines.
More than 8 centimeters of rain was also recorded at Newark’s Liberty International Airport, forcing officials to suspend all flight activity, and the air traffic control tower was temporarily evacuated due to a tornado warning. Parts of the airport were flooded, forcing officials to move passengers to higher floors. Governor Phil Murphy has issued a state of emergency for all of New Jersey.