A Dominican family drowned at their residence in Elizabeth, New Jersey, last Wednesday after torrential rains caused by Storm Ida.
The bodies of José Torres, 71; Margarita Espinal, 72, and her son Vladimir Torres, 38, were identified by authorities at an apartment complex on Irvington Avenue, journalist Esperança Ceballos told Univision New York.
A 33-year-old woman, a neighbor of the family, also died in the floods at Oakwood Plaza Apartments.
According to the American media, firefighters had to get out in boats to rescue residents of the apartment complex.
Marcos Sanchez, a resident who witnessed the tragic event, expressed that “it was terrible, people were shouting, people were crying and signaling, but there was little attendance, but we stayed alive which is worth it.”
The journalist reports that the overflow of the Elizabeth River devastated with performances and housing in the town. Some even kayaked Westminster Avenue.
Thousands still remain without electricity, and rescue agencies are positioned in the areas that were flooded.