At least eight people have died after record-breaking rains pummelled New York City and New Jersey September 2, 2021, according to several media reports. The rains have been blamed on the remnants of Hurricane Ida that struck the United States Gulf of Mexico Coast August 29.
Seven of the eight deaths were reported in New York City while one death was reported from the city of Passaic in the state of New Jersey.
The deaths happened after the mayor of New York City, Bill de Blasio declared an emergency.
Later, Kathy Hochul, the governor of New York state as well as Phil Murphy, the governor of New Jersey, also declared a state of emergency.
For the first time, a flash-flood emergency was issued for New York:
The iconic Central Park green space in the city, broke a record as far as rainfall was concerned:
Hurricane Ida was one of the most powerful storms to hit the United States, with wind speeds of 150 miles per hour. It made landfall near Port Fourchon, Louisiana. The hurricane left a trail of destruction in its wake across the states of Louisiana and Mississippi. It then took a northeasterly route and is supposed to have brought the record rains across the US northeast.
Ida intensified rapidly as a hurricane, reflecting the impact of climate change on weather systems.