Toddler among at least 29 dead as Ida batters Northeast with record rain and floods

At least 29 people were killed as the remnants of Hurricane Ida battered the Northeast with tornadoes, record rain and flooding that left the area deluged and under states of emergency on Thursday.

Videos on social media showed cars submerged on highways and water pouring into subway stations and homes after a wind-driven downpour shattered rainfall records and prompted an unprecedented flash flood emergency for New York City.

Four women, three men and a 2-year-old boy died in separate flooding incidents in the city, police said. All eight victims lived in Queens and died in the basements of residential homes, according to New York Police Department Commissioner Dermot Shea.

A ninth victim was confirmed by Mayor Bill de Blasio during a news conference Thursday, but he did not provide any further details.

“Our hearts ache for the lives lost in last night’s storm. Please keep them and their loved ones in your thoughts today,” he said. “They were our fellow New Yorkers and to their families, your city will be there for you in the days ahead.”

– Latest updates on Ida

Remnants of Hurricane Ida brought dangerous floods, record rains and tornadoes to the Northeast, mostly impacting the states of New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania.
The death toll in the area stands at 29, including a 2-year-old boy.
Rainfall in Central Park broke a 94-year-old record, while Newark, New Jersey, smashed a 62-year-old record, according to the National Weather Service.
Both New York and New Jersey declared a state of emergency because of severe weather.
New Jersey Transit and Amtrak service between Washington, D.C., and Boston was suspended Thursday.

reported another three deaths were confirmed Thursday afternoon in the same neighborhood where the toddler and two others were found dead.

In New Jersey, 14 people were killed, including four residents at the Oakwood Plaza Apartments complex in Elizabeth, four people in Somerset County, one person whose body was recovered in Passaic and one who was found in South Plainfield. Of the four residents, three were family members, aged 72, 71 and 38, and the other was a 33-year-old female neighbor, Elizabeth spokesperson Kelly Martins said Thursday.

The victims, whose names were not immediately released by authorities, were reportedly found on the first floor of the apartment but it was unclear if they were found inside or outside the apartment.

A Somerset County spokesperson said two of the fatalities were in Hillsborough and two were in Bridgewater Township. The two people in Hillsborough died in submerged vehicles in separate incidents, according to the official. The two who died in Bridgewater Township were traveling in a vehicle when they came across floodwaters. They exited the vehicle and were swept away by floodwaters, the county spokesperson said.

In Passaic, firefighters recovered the body from a vehicle that went underwater when it was caught in floodwaters near the Passaic River, the town’s mayor said.

Authorities in South Plainfield said they heard cries from a female pedestrian about a friend being swept into a 36-inch storm sewer pipe Wednesday night. They later learned two men were swept into the pipe, according to the office of Mayor Matt Anesh. One was saved, but authorities Thursday morning discovered the body of 31-year-old Edison resident Dhanush Reddy in a wooded area in Piscataway, officials said.

And in the Philadelphia suburb of Montgomery County, there were at least three storm-related fatalities, Board of Commissioners Chairwoman Dr. Valerie Arkoosh said. Details on the victims and how they died were not released.

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul told reporters that officials were still assessing the damage and “uncovering the true depth of the loss.”

“I don’t want this to happen again,” she said during a news conference Thursday. “We haven’t experienced this before, but we should expect it the next time.”

Hochul pledged investments in infrastructure after the city was issued its first flash flood emergency warning Wednesday night. The governor previously declared a state of emergency, which allows for state aid.

In New York City, officials urged nonemergency vehicles to stay off the streets after a “travel ban” ended at 5 a.m. ET.

Central Park and Newark, New Jersey, each saw more than 3 inches of rain in one hour — the most ever recorded in an hour there, NBC News meteorologist Bill Karins said.

The daily rainfall total at Central Park was 7.13 inches Wednesday, breaking the previous record of 3.84 inches set in 1927, according to the National Weather Service. Meanwhile, Newark logged 8.41 inches of rain, surpassing its record of 2.22 inches in 1959.

Between 6 and 10 inches of rain fell over several hours, the National Weather Service said, and New York City streets were inundated with water.