Hurricane Ida Hits US Northeast... At Least 9 Dead in New York and New Jersey (Comprehensive)

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hyung-min] Hurricane Ida swept through Louisiana in the southern United States last month, and this time it struck the northeastern region including New York City, New York, and New Jersey.

According to major U.S. foreign media, at least nine people died due to record rainfall in the northeastern U.S. on the 1st and 2nd (local time). Flooding caused the deaths of seven people, including a two-year-old infant, in New York State, and two people in New Jersey.

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio declared a state of emergency across the city that night, anticipating record-breaking heavy rain.

The city authorities banned all vehicle traffic except emergency transportation on New York City roads and highways from that night until 5 a.m. the next day. Over 3.1 inches (about 79 mm) of rain fell per hour in Central Park in the Manhattan borough that night, and hundreds of flights were canceled at New York LaGuardia Airport and John F. Kennedy (JFK) Airport.

Mayor de Blasio urged on social media platform Twitter, "Please do not go out on the streets tonight so that paramedics and emergency responders can do their jobs," and added, "Do not drive in this heavy rain and stay indoors."

New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy and New York Governor Kathy Hochul also declared states of emergency across their states starting that night, initiating state-level responses.

Governor Murphy shared the latest damage status caused by Ida on Twitter, reporting "81,740 power outages."

At Newark Airport in New Jersey, over 3.2 inches (about 80 mm) of rain fell per hour between 8 p.m. and 9 p.m. that day, prompting the airport to temporarily suspend all flight operations.

Hurricane Ida formed as a tropical storm in the Caribbean on the 27th of last month, then developed into a hurricane, hitting Louisiana and Mississippi, causing at least four fatalities.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.