UPDATED 9/2, 6:00 p.m. ET: New Jersey governor Phil Murphy announced that “at least” 23 New Jerseyans lost their lives in Wednesday’s storm.
“The majority of these deaths were individuals who got caught in their vehicles by flooding and were overtaken by the water,” he tweeted.
NBC News reports that at least 29 people died as a result of the storm, with 14 of the victims dying in New Jersey, 12 in New York City, and three in the Philadelphia suburb of Montgomery County.
See original story below.
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio declared a state of emergency on Wednesday night after remnants of Hurricane Ida touched down in the city, brining heavy rain and flash flooding. Hurricane Ida also hit other parts of the state, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey.
New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy also declared a state of emergency while Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf signed a proclamation of disaster emergency.
According to the the National Weather Service Office, it was the first time a flash flood emergency was issued for NYC.
Nearly 30,000 people are without power in New York while over 80,000 are in the dark in New Jersey, according to a website that logs how many people have lost electricity across the country. 118,000 people in Pennsylvania have also lost power.
Dramatic videos from across the area captured the flooding that was caused by the heavy rain. Several New York City subway stations were hit with flash flooding, as can be seen from the footage posted below.
The 28 St. Station in Manhattan was hit particularly bad with an onslaught of water.
Footage also showed areas in Queens and Brooklyn being inundated with water.
An emergency alert warning sent to people in NYC earlier in the evening notified them that a flash flooding warning was issued. “This is a dangerous and life-threatening situation,” the alert, which was sent via text, read. “Do not attempt to travel unless you are fleeing an area subject to flooding or under an evacuation order.”
Newark Liberty International Airport was also hit with flooding.
Also in NJ, a tornado was reported to have hit Mullica Hill.
