Multiple tornadoes affected the northeast on Wednesday as remnants of Hurricane Ida erupted in the United States, causing at least one life in Maryland and causing flash floods that caused states of emergency in New Jersey and New York City.
The victim of the storm in Maryland was identified in local media as a 19-year-old who died after returning to a flooded apartment in search of his mother in Rockville. Two more people were not discovered after an alleged tornado near Chesapeake Bay, according to the Associated Press.
In New York City, Mayor Bill de Blasio declared a state of emergency due to “a historic weather event” that bombed the city “with record rainfall” and “brutal flooding.”
The National Weather Service issued the first instant flood emergency alert in New York City, warning more than 9 million residents of imminent danger, according to agency tweets.
In accordance with NBC New York, the rainfall that followed broke the record for the heaviest hour of rainfall in Central Park, with 3.15 inches. The previous record, 1.94 inches, was set a few days earlier during Hurricane Henri.
The videos showed flooding of several subway stations and the Metropolitan Transportation Authority suspended train service on all lines across the city.
The MTA issued a legal notice on its website: “Train service may be extremely limited tonight due to heavy rainfall and flooding throughout the region. If possible, we recommend that you avoid traveling at this time. “.
The NWS warned of a “large and extremely dangerous tornado” in an area of Gloucester City, New Jersey, and advised, “This is a particularly dangerous situation. Get within reach now!” under a tornado warning.Some parts of Pennsylvania received tornado alerts amid heavy rains, prompting evacuations.
The videos showed cars trapped on flooded roads in various parts of New York City and New Jersey, and the Harrison neighborhood fire department reported several victims trapped in their homes, according to NJ.com.
New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy declared a state of emergency.
“We will use all the resources at our disposal to ensure the safety of New Jerseyans. Stay off the roads, stay home and be safe, ”Murphy wrote.
Newark Liberty International Airport suspended flights and temporarily evacuated its air traffic control tower Wednesday afternoon after “experiencing severe flooding” and being under a tornado warning.
“Passengers are being diverted from flooded areas above ground level, “the airport said in a statement.
The US Open tennis tournament suspended all games of the night in response to the rain.
Ida hit Louisiana with extreme force earlier in the week, wiping out more than a million people and killing at least four.