US Hit by Devastating Hurricane Ida: Eight Dead, State of Emergency and New York's First Flood in History

Record amount of rain fell in New York.

Hurricane Ida, which is being compared to Katrina of 2005, when more than 1,800 people died, has hit the US. We explain what is happening in the country, where a state of emergency has been declared and how many people have died. 

The Start of the Hurricane in Louisiana

On August 29, Hurricane Ida, a Category 4 storm on a five-point scale, reached the US coast and struck the state of Louisiana. It is considered the fifth most powerful hurricane in American history, with wind speeds reaching 230 km/h. 

Ida hit the American coast exactly 16 years after Hurricane Katrina in 2005, which killed more than 1,800 people. The hurricane began 72 km from where Katrina first struck. It is considered the strongest since 2005, but the governor of Louisiana said it is one of the strongest hurricanes since the 1850s. 

Heavy rain and strong winds felled trees and tore off roofs of houses. Residents of some cities in the state were urged to seek higher ground because of possible flooding. The strong winds caused the Mississippi River to flow in the opposite direction at a speed of about 1.5 m/s. 

Because of Ida, at least one person died in Louisiana in the first days. One in four of the more than 1 million residents of the state was left without electricity. New Orleans, the most densely populated city in Louisiana, was completely without power. 

On the night of August 30, the hurricane's speed dropped to 153 km/h, which corresponds to a Category 1 storm. 

Record Rainfall

On the night of September 1, a record amount of rain, 3.15 inches per hour, was recorded in Central Park in New York. The previous record was 1.94 inches per hour during Tropical Storm Henry on the night of August 22. 

City authorities banned vehicle traffic, except for emergency service vehicles. 

Strong winds, heavy rain and at least one tornado also hit Pennsylvania and New Jersey, tearing off the roof of a US Postal Service building and threatening to breach a dam. Newark Airport was forced to temporarily suspend operations due to a flooded terminal. 

In Pennsylvania, rescuers had to evacuate 41 people from a school bus stuck on a flooded road. In New York, emergency workers also evacuated people who were trapped in their cars. 

The governor of New Jersey declared a state of emergency late on the evening of September 1 and asked residents to "stay off the roads and stay safe at home." 

Flooding in New York

The National Weather Service issued the first-ever flood warning for New York City, as Hurricane Ida brought heavy rain that flooded subway lines and streets in Manhattan, Brooklyn and New Jersey. 

As a result of the storm, seven people died in New York and one in Passaic, New Jersey. The New York Police Department said bodies were found in four different locations across the city. The names of the victims, aged from two to 66, are not being disclosed. The city's medical examiner will later determine the official causes of death. 

Bill de Blasio
Mayor of New York

Tonight we are experiencing a historic weather event: record torrential rain across the city, flooding and dangerous road conditions. 

The mayor declared a state of emergency shortly before midnight on September 1. All vehicles except emergency services are prohibited from driving on the streets, and residents were strongly urged to stay indoors. According to him, thousands of residents were left without electricity.