In New York City, a travel ban was enforced until 5 a.m., according to an emergency alert sent by Notify NYC. All non-emergency vehicles must stay off the road, the alert said.
New York Governor Kathy Hochul told CNN the rain was “much more than we really expected” and left the region in “a very serious situation”.
“We can take any precaution ahead of time, and we’ve been pushing hard to be on the ground in anticipation, but Mother Nature will do whatever she wants, and she’s really angry tonight,” Hochul said. to CNN’s Don Lemon.
Rescuers have removed people from flooded roads and subways across New York City, New York firefighters said Thursday morning. There are no reports of major or critical injuries in the city at this time, the FDNY said.
At least five flash flood emergencies were issued Wednesday night by the National Weather Service, stretching just west of Philadelphia to northern New Jersey. Dozens of water rescues have taken place and many roads have been closed.
According to Mayor Hector Lora, people were being extracted from cars stuck underwater in Passaic, New Jersey. “We’re at a point where there are some areas of the city where we can’t even send emergency responders due to potential danger,” Lora said in a video posted to Facebook.
The latest flash flood emergency included Newark, the state’s largest city. Precipitation estimates for parts of central and eastern Pennsylvania and New Jersey ranged from 4 to 8 inches of water with some isolated spots approaching 10 inches. Parts of it saw 3-4 inches of rain per hour throughout Wednesday evening.
A flash flood emergency was also issued for New York City and extended until 3 a.m. ET, according to the weather service, covering Manhattan, Queens, the Bronx and areas as far north as White Plains. The region has already seen between 2 and 3.5 inches of rain in just a few hours and rainfall rates are expected to reach 3-5 inches per hour for the remainder of Wednesday.
Heavy rains will also continue in northern New Jersey and eastern Pennsylvania for the remainder of Wednesday evening, while overnight impacts will continue in southern New York, extending into Connecticut, in Rhode Island and Massachusetts.
One person has died from flooding in the Guesses Fork area of Hurley, Va., The Buchanan County Sheriff’s Office has announced. People were told to stay away from the area, according to the sheriff’s office, and only residents who presented identification and authorized personnel were allowed in on Wednesday evening.
In Maryland, one person has died and another is missing after Ida’s remains flooded an apartment complex on Wednesday, Montgomery County officials said. The 19-year-old was found dead but the cause has not been confirmed, Montgomery County Police spokeswoman Casandra Durham told CNN.
Firefighters and rescuers have evacuated dozens of people from the Rock Creek Woods apartment complex in Rockville, officials said. About 150 residents were displaced after 50 apartments were affected and 12 flooded, police said.
Ida made landfall in Louisiana on Sunday as a Category 4 hurricane, and although it has since weakened considerably, it has still dropped heavy rains in the southeast on its way north. More than 60 million people are under flash flood watch in parts of the central Appalachians, mid Atlantic, and southern New York and southern New England.
41 people rescued from school bus trapped in flood waters
About 41 passengers were rescued from a school bus trapped in the floodwaters of Ida’s remains on Wednesday morning in Shaler Township, Pa., Officials said.
Local police and firefighters responded to the school bus heading to Shaler Area High School and oversaw the evacuation of those on board, Shaler Area School District spokesperson Bethany Baker said. in a press release.
Following reports of an uncontrolled release from the Wilmore Dam in Pennsylvania, causing flash floods downstream of the dam, the National Weather Service issued a flash flood emergency – the highest level of threat. The nearest town downstream from the dam is Wilmore.
A flash flood emergency was also issued for Montgomery County, just north of Philadelphia, the National Weather Service said. Flash floods have already started Wednesday night and more than 30 water rescues are taking place across the county, the weather service said.
Rainfall amounts of 3 to 4.5 inches were reported while another 1.5 to 3 inches was expected over the next few hours.
Wolf later said he was sending emergency resources to Bucks County to provide support following severe weather in the southeastern state.
Threats of potentially catastrophic tornado damage
It is not only the floods that worry the authorities, it is also the tornadoes.
And a tornado watch has been issued for the northeast, which includes parts of northern New Jersey, southern New York and Connecticut. The watch, which includes New York City, lasts until 1 a.m. ET.
Just before 6:30 p.m. ET on Wednesday, a confirmed tornado was located about 11 miles southwest of Gloucester, New Jersey, and was moving northeast at 40 mph.
“I looked out my driver’s window and saw the swirling clouds and debris flying towards me,” Kristi Johnston, who recorded the videos, told CNN. “I rolled down my window and it looked like a train coming. I hung up on my husband and started to walk away. It was extremely scary.”
The lower level of Terminal B in Newark was flooded and passengers were moved to the upper levels of the terminal, the port authority said.
Similarities between hurricanes Ida and Camille
“There are definitely a lot of similarities with Ida and Camille over 50 years ago,” Miller said.
“Both storms formed in the same location, struck near the same location and both have a similar trajectory over the northeast. Camille’s flooding in the northeast was fatal.”
Camille first struck the United States as a dangerous Category 5 hurricane along the central Gulf Coast in August 1969.
The storm followed a very similar path to Ida through Tennessee, Kentucky and off the mid-Atlantic coast.
Amanda Jackson, Raja Razek, Christina Maxouris, Monica Garrett, Judson Jones, Colin McCullough, Taylor Ward, Tanika Gray, Patrick Cornell, Kiely Westhoff, Mirna Alsharif, Kristina Sgueglia and Eric Levenson contributed to this report.
