Ida wreaks havoc on Northeast

The storm caused waterways to overflow and flood homes and roads on Wednesday night, killing at least 46 people from Maryland to New York. Thirteen were in New York City, mostly drowned in flooded basement apartments, while 23 died in New Jersey. 

What’s the extent of the damage? Ida, though no longer a hurricane, spawned tornadoes. One damaged homes in a New Jersey town south of Philadelphia. New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy declared an emergency in the entire state, and the region’s rivers aren’t likely to crest for a few more days. In New York City, more than 3 inches of rain fell in an hour in Central Park on Wednesday night, according to the National Weather Service. The record rainfall flooded and trapped more than a dozen trains in the subway and canceled service into the morning, but all riders evacuated safely, officials said. The Schuylkill River in Philadelphia overflowed its banks, largely submerging the community of Manayunk, and the levels continued to rise on Thursday. The storm disrupted public transit throughout the region, and at least 220,000 customers were without electricity.

Dig deeper: Listen to Kim Henderson’s report on The World and Everything in It podcast about the recovery efforts after Ida swept through Louisiana.