The remnants of Hurricane Ida shocked the U.S. East Coast this week with deadly, record-breaking rain, flash floods and tornadoes.
The storm killed at least 46 people from Maryland to Connecticut.
Forecasters warned people from the Mid-Atlantic to the Northeast about the potential for deadly flash flooding, but the region did not expect such an intense storm system.
The remnants of Ida merged with a front, resulting in a first-time ever flash flood emergency for all five boroughs in New York City.
In Central Park, Fr. Taskco Brown swam through the flood waters to safety while carrying his eight-month-old boy.
“I just used the God-given strength that I had and had to pull him out,” Brown shared. “I never experienced nothing like it. It was frightening.”
The floods overwhelmed the entire New York City subway system, forcing officials to shut it down. The NYPD says 835 subway passengers had to be rescued, and drivers abandoned nearly 500 vehicles across the city.
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In Connecticut, a state trooper lost his life while checking on conditions. Floodwaters swept his patrol car away where three rivers come together. “He’s one of the senior sergeants on the state police, well respected, and it’s just a tragedy,” said one of his colleagues.
In Philadelphia, residents made hundreds of calls for water rescues. The Schuylkill River flooded the area with the water rising as high as an overpass.
At a Pennsylvania apartment complex, the National Guard rescued around a dozen people and their pets. “We really appreciate it you know,” said Jake Blank, who was transported to safety. “You don’t really expect these types of things to happen when you’re in a big building like this.”
And in Louisiana, where Ida came ashore, New Orleans residents have been facing long lines at gas stations and grocery stores.
CBN’s Operation Blessing is set up in Houma, Louisiana, giving away generators and Home Depot flood buckets and tarps.
And the help is necessary. One early estimate says the insured losses from Ida will come in around $18 billion in damages. The final number could be higher.
To donate to the Louisiana relief efforts: https://www.ob.org/disaster-relief/
Ida made landfall with some of the strongest winds ever, leaving behind a trail of devastation with much of New Orleans still lacking power and running water.
The storm’s aftermath is still unfolding from Louisiana and Mississippi in the Gulf Coast all the way to the Northeast.
About 900,000 people in Louisiana, including much of New Orleans, are still without power and an estimated 185,000 had no running water in the middle of ongoing southern summer heat.
Forecasters say most rivers in the Mid-Atlantic and southern New England will return to their banks Friday, but high water may remain in areas with drainage issues.
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