Hurricane Ida: 'Historic' Flash Floods Submerge New York & Nearby Areas, At Least 44 Dead

Hurricane Ida: 13 people died in New York which included 11 who could not escape their basement as per the police. Many flights were canceled at LaGuardia and JFK airports, as well as at Newark.

Abilio Viegas attempts to fix his flooded van on South Street on September 02, 2021 in Newark, New Jersey. (File Photo/ Getty Images)

Flash floods that occurred after Hurricane Ida left at least 44 dead near the New York area in a single night on Thursday. Many died in the basement during this catastrophe that was blamed on climate change by officials, as reported by AFP.

The United States experienced record rainfall in certain areas near New York. This led to an unprecedented flash flood emergency warning for New York City. Streets were turned into rivers while the railway tracks were submerged underwater. 

"I'm 50 years old and I've never seen that much rain ever. It was like living in the jungle, like tropical rain. Unbelievable. Everything is so strange this year" said Metodija Mihajlov to AFP whose restaurant was flooded with three inches of water.

Many flights were canceled at LaGuardia and JFK airports, as well as at Newark.

"We're all in this together. The nation is ready to help," President Joe Biden said ahead of a trip Friday. 1

13 people died in New York which included 11 who could not escape their basement as per the police. 

USA Citizens Call The Floods, 'Historic'

"The majority of these deaths were individuals who got caught in their vehicles," New Jersey, Governor Phil Murphy told reporters.

How the climate crisis is an inequality crisis:

Many of these deaths occurred in basement dwellings, many of which are illegal and growing in # due to the unaffordable housing crisis, but do not meet safety standards required to keep people safe in incidents like flash floods. https://t.co/6ImAWXEvEj

— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) September 2, 2021

"Among the people MOST at risk during flash floods here are those living in off-the-books basement dwellings that don't meet the safety codes necessary to save lives," lawmaker Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez tweeted.

"These are working class, immigrant, and low-income people & families," she added.

"We're enduring an historic weather event tonight with record-breaking rain across the city, brutal flooding and dangerous conditions on our roads," New York Mayor Bill de Blasio said

"Global warming is upon us and it's going to get worse and worse and worse unless we do something about it," said Democratic senator Chuck Schumer.

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