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Ida Updates: NYC Death Count Rises After Historic Rainfall Overwhelms Region

Gwynne Hogan

Andy Mai

Jen Chung

Elizabeth Kim

Jake Offenhartz

and

David Cruz

Published Sep 2, 2021

Modified Sep 2, 2021

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Looking down at the Major Deegan Expressway, which is flooded and stranded cars sit askew in the water

David Cruz / Gothamist

Gwynne Hogan

Andy Mai

Jen Chung

Elizabeth Kim

Jake Offenhartz

and

David Cruz

Published Sep 2, 2021

Modified Sep 2, 2021

FacebookTwitterRedditEmail

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This post will be updated throughout the day to provide the latest coverage on the flooding in New York City and the surrounding region.

At least 13 people were killed in New York City, along with dozens of others in the tri-state area, following devastating floods brought by Tropical Storm Ida.

Eleven of the fatalities were reported Queens, including a 2-year-old in Woodside and an 86-year-old woman in Elmhurst. Many of the deaths occurred in the borough's often unregulated basement dwellings.

More than 1,000 were people were rescued during the flooding, and nearly 500 vehicles were left abandoned, police said.

In New Jersey, four residents were found dead in an Elizabeth apartment complex. As many as 600 residents of the complex were forced into temporary shelters at nearby schools. According to Governor Phil Murphy, the death toll in the state has climbed to 23.

Scott Heins / Gothamist

Ida dropped more than 7 inches of rain in Central Park, the fifth highest amount on record. It came just days after heavy rains from Tropical Storm Henri broke a citywide record — a historic one-two punch that officials say is a direct result of a warming planet.

Eric Adams, the Democratic nominee and likely next mayor of New York City, called the flooding "a real wake-up call to all of us how we must understand how this climate change is impacting us.”

Residents of 64th Street in Woodside described an unprecedented “wave” of water rushing into their homes at around 10 p.m.

When they awoke on on Thursday, they learned that a family of three had been found dead inside a basement apartment at the bottom of their street, adjacent from the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway.

"I feel so sorry," said Felix Delapuente, a 72-year-old cab driver who lived next door to the victims. "The water was so strong. I've never seen anything like it in 21 years here."

In Jamaica, Queens, Karen Lee was bailing out buckets of water from her car parked in front of her home on 90th Avenue. Every now and then a pipe on the front of her brick house would belch water onto the pavement, as her husband tried to pump out their swamp of a basement.

"It went almost to the ceiling, so it's taller than me," Lee said, estimating the water reached at least five and half feet. "I mean, you could drown in that," she added.

Around the corner, that's exactly what happened. A 43-year-old mother and her 22 year-old son died after becoming trapped in a basement apartment on 183rd street where the road sloped downhill.

George Lee, who lived two doors up from them on slightly higher ground, said he watched the raging flood waters overturn a construction trailer that was at that location as part of an ongoing drainage project.

"The whole freaking thing tipped over — that's how bad it was," Lee said.

Thousands of transit riders were also trapped on subway cars for hours Wednesday night into Thursday morning. Between 15 and 20 subway cars had to be evacuated, according to MTA Acting Chair Janno Lieber. Police said they rescued 835 passengers on the 4, 6, R, N and E line.

As of Thursday evening, the transit system was still experiencing significant and ongoing delays to the system, with several lines still partially or fully suspended.

People in vehicles stranded in Queens

JUSTIN LANE/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock

Scott Heins / Gothamist

Bronx Highway Remains Underwater On Thursday Afternoon

The Major Deegan Expressway on Thursday

David Cruz/Gothamist

Parts of the Major Deegan Expressway remain inaccessible on Thursday afternoon. Manny Jimenez, a Manhattan resident who works at a furniture company, was among those drivers whose car was stuck on the highway.

He told Gothamist/WNYC he had been driving south on the expressway when a truck blew past him, causing a wave of water to crash into his car. The vehicle immediately stalled, but he was able to get help from other motorists who pulled his car to the side.

“The rain was really bad last night. It was probably the worst that I’ve seen. Definitely worse than [Superstorm] Sandy,” Jimenez said. “I don’t think New York is prepared for stuff like this.”

Parts of the Bronx River Parkway were still flooded as of 7 p.m. on Thursday, police said.

Biden Pledges Federal Support, As Hochul Vows To Investigate Mistakes

Governor Kathy Hochul joins Mayor Bill de Blasio, Queens Borough President Donavan Richards, Senator Charles Schumer and Congressman Gregory Meeks to providing update on storm recovery efforts

Darren McGee / Office of the Governor

In an appearance in Queens with elected officials, Governor Kathy Hochul pledged to investigate what, if anything, had gone wrong in the lead-up to the storm.

She said that she spoke to President Biden, who offered to provide any assistance that the state might need.

In an address on Thursday, Biden said that he had “made clear to the governors that my team at the federal emergency management agency, FEMA, is on the ground and ready to provide all the assistance that’s needed.:

”The damage," he added, was a sign that “extreme storms and the climate crisis are here.”

Flooded Parks Across NYC

Bethesda Fountain on Thursday morning, with water flooding the plaza

Jen Chung / Gothamist

The iconic Bethesda Fountain in Central Park became a fountain within a lake on Thursday, as parks across the city remained waterlogged.

Geese swam around the Central Park fountain on Thursday, and a few daring people waded into the murky, algae-tinged water. Others stayed on land and took selfies, stunned by the scene.

The NYC Parks Department said that they had forestry crews "inspecting and addressing storm-related tree issues" as well as staffers looking at overall impacts from Ida. Among the green spaces that flooded were Van Cortlandt Park in the Bronx, Flushing Meadows-Corona Park in Queens, and Prospect Park in Brooklyn, according to the Parks department.

Eighteen people were rescued by police on Wednesday night inside Flushing Meadows-Corona Park, where thousands had gathered to watch the U.S. Open.

The Parks Department also recorded more than 300 reports of fallen trees across the five boroughs.

Park visitors are asked to call 311 to report downed trees; in the case of an emergency, they should call 911.

Please send tips and photos to [email protected].

Tagged

climate change

MTA

new york city

mass transit

mayor bill de blasio

tropical storm ida

flooding

new york

subway

Governor Kathy Hochul

queens

new jersey

Gwynne Hogan

Gwynne Hogan is a former Gothamist reporter.

Andy Mai

Jen Chung

Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.

Elizabeth Kim

Elizabeth Kim is a reporter on the People and Power desk who covers mayoral power. She previously covered the pandemic, housing, redevelopment and public spaces. A native of Queens, she speaks fluent Mandarin. Got a tip? Email [email protected]