At least 29 people have died after flash flooding and tornadoes hit the north-eastern part of the United States, CNBC reports
Footage showed cars submerged on highways and water pouring into subway stations and homes after a wind-driven downpour shattered rainfall records and prompted an unprecedented flash flood emergency for New York City.
Four women, three men, and a 2-year-old boy died in separate flooding incidents in the city, police said. All eight victims lived in Queens and died in the basements of residential homes, according to New York Police Department Commissioner Dermot Shea.
A ninth victim was confirmed by Mayor Bill de Blasio during a news conference Thursday, but he did not provide any further details.
“Our hearts ache for the lives lost in last night’s storm. Please keep them and their loved ones in your thoughts today,” he said. “They were our fellow New Yorkers and to their families, your city will be there for you in the days ahead.”
NBC New York reported another three deaths were confirmed Thursday afternoon in the same neighborhood where the toddler and two others were found dead.
In New Jersey, 14 people were killed, including four residents at the Oakwood Plaza Apartments complex in Elizabeth, four people in Somerset County, one person whose body was recovered in Passaic, and one who was found in South Plainfield. Of the four residents, three were family members, aged 72, 71, and 38, and the other was a 33-year-old female neighbor, Elizabeth spokesperson Kelly Martins said Thursday.
The victims, whose names were not immediately released by authorities, were reportedly found on the first floor of the apartment but it was unclear if they were found inside or outside the apartment.
A Somerset County spokesperson said two of the fatalities were in Hillsborough and two were in Bridgewater Township. The two people in Hillsborough died in submerged vehicles in separate incidents, according to the official. The two who died in Bridgewater Township were traveling in a vehicle when they came across floodwaters. They exited the vehicle and were swept away by floodwaters, the county spokesperson said.
In Passaic, firefighters recovered the body from a vehicle that went underwater when it was caught in floodwaters near the Passaic River, the town’s mayor said.
Authorities in South Plainfield said they heard cries from a female pedestrian about a friend being swept into a 36-inch storm sewer pipe Wednesday night. They later learned two men were swept into the pipe, according to the office of Mayor Matt Anesh. One was saved, but authorities Thursday morning discovered the body of 31-year-old Edison resident Dhanush Reddy in a wooded area in Piscataway, officials said
And in the Philadelphia suburb of Montgomery County, there were at least three storm-related fatalities, Board of Commissioners Chairwoman Dr. Valerie Arkoosh said. Details on the victims and how they died were not released.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said that officials were still assessing the damage and “uncovering the true depth of the loss.”
“I don’t want this to happen again,” she said during a news conference on Thursday. “We haven’t experienced this before, but we should expect it the next time.”