Remnants of Ida wreak death and destruction stunning US East Coast

A stunned U.S. East Coast woke up Thursday to a rising death toll, surging rivers and destruction from the remnants of Hurricane Ida, which walloped the region with record-breaking rain days after one of the strongest U.S. hurricanes on record hit the Gulf Coast. 

In a region that hadn't expected a serious blow from the no-longer-hurricane, the storm killed at least 18 people from Maryland to New York on Wednesday night as basement apartments suddenly filled with water, rivers and creeks swelled to record levels and roadways turned into car-swallowing canals.

New York: Nine people died in New York City, many when they became trapped in flooded basements, police and Mayor Bill de Blasio said.
 

New Jersey: Four people were found dead in an apartment complex in Elizabeth, N.J., the mayor and spokesperson said, correcting an earlier report that said five had died.
 

Pennsylvania: Outside Philadelphia, multiple deaths were reported, with officials saying no additional details were immediately available.
 

Maryland: A 19-year-old man was killed in the flooding at an apartment complex in Rockville, Md., early Wednesday, police said.
 

Connecticut: An on-duty state trooper was swept away in flood waters Thursday morning in Woodbury, and later taken to hospital, authorities said.

Deborah Torres, who lives on the first floor of a building where three people died in a basement apartment in New York City's Queens borough, said water rapidly filled her own apartment to her knees. The landlord frantically urged her neighbours below to get out, she said.

"The water pressure was so fast and strong, so I think they couldn't open the door either way because this is like a pool," she said. "I don't know how that happened. It was so fast."

Deborah Torres, right, talks to police officers outside her home in the Queens borough of New York where three people died when their basement apartment flooded. (Mary Altaffer/The Associated Press)

The ferocious storm also spawned tornadoes, including one that ripped apart homes and toppled silos in Mullica Hill, N.J., south of Philadelphia.

Water from record rainfall cascaded into New York City subways, trapping at least 17 trains and forcing the cancellation of service throughout the night and early morning. Videos showed riders standing on seats in cars filled with water. All riders were evacuated safely, officials said.

Thursday morning, the nation's largest city was slow to recover from catastrophic flooding that was reminiscent of Superstorm Sandy in 2012.

The National Weather Service recorded more than 8.9 centimetres of rain in New York's Central Park in one hour Wednesday night, far surpassing the more than 4.9 centimetres that fell in one hour during Henri on the night of Aug. 21, which was believed at the time to be the most ever recorded in the park. Scientists have warned such weather extremes will be more common with man-made climate change.

Major flooding along Pennsylvannia's Schuylkill River swamped highways, submerged cars and disrupted rail service in the Philadelphia area. In a tweet, city officials predicted "historic flooding" on Thursday as river levels continue to rise. The riverside community of Manayunk remained largely under water.

The rain in the tri-state area ended by daybreak Thursday as rescuers searched for more stranded people and braced to potentially find more bodies.

'Historic weather event'

"We're enduring an historic weather event tonight with record breaking rain across the city, brutal flooding and dangerous conditions on our roads," de Blasio said while declaring a state of emergency in New York City late Wednesday.

City officials banned travel for all but emergency vehicles until early Thursday and warned against unnecessary travel into the morning. 

FDR Drive in Manhattan and the Bronx River Parkway were under water during the storm. Garbage bobbed in the water rushing down streets. Some subway and rail service had resumed Thursday morning.

WATCH | Flooding subways, floating cars, boat rescues as Ida terrorizes northeastern U.S.:

Among the other deaths reported in New York City, a 48-year-old woman and a 66-year-old man died after being found at separate residences, and a 43-year-old woman and a 22-year-old man both died after being found inside a home. Causes of death and identifications were pending.

The National Weather Service office in New York issued its first-ever set of flash flood emergencies in the region Wednesday night, alerts only sent in the most dangerous conditions.

Police in Connecticut were investigating a report of a person missing due to the flooding in Woodbury. In Passaic, New Jersey, a 70-year-old man was swept away after his family was rescued from their car.

Heavy winds and drenching rains collapsed the roof of a U.S. Postal Service building in New Jersey and threatened to overrun a dam in Pennsylvania.

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