New York flooding: Videos show cars submerged, water pouring into subway stations

NEW YORK - Dramatic videos show major flash flooding in the New York City area caused by torrential rain from the remnants of Hurricane Ida, which resulted in several deaths across the region, halted subways and sent the city into a state of emergency.

At least 26 deaths were reported across the Northeast as the relentless rain caused flooding throughout the region. Video captured by New York City residents showed floodwaters pouring into the city’s underground subway system.

New York transit authorities said multiple trains were disrupted due to "excessive water" entering the station.

Streets in Brooklyn resembled waterways in a video shared late Wednesday, which shows vehicles attempting to drive through deep floodwaters and people wading through it.

Brooklyn streets submerged as New York hit by severe floods

Streets in New York’s Brooklyn borough resembled waterways on Sept. 1, 2021, as remnants of Hurricane Ida brought severe flooding to the area. Credit - John Miller via Storyful

Another video, recorded on New York’s Upper East Side, shows major flooding along the FDR highway. Cars and emergency vehicles can be seen attempting to drive through the high water.

At least 12 people died in New York City, police said, one of them in a car and eight in flooded basement apartments that often serve as relatively affordable homes in one of the nation’s most expensive housing markets.

Officials said at least eight died in New Jersey and three in Pennsylvania's suburban Montgomery County; one was killed by a falling tree, one drowned in a car and another in a home.

An on-duty state trooper in Connecticut was swept away in his cruiser and later taken to a hospital, state police and local authorities said.

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

Gov. Kathy Hochul declared a state of emergency for New York state. Gov. Phil Murphy also declared a state of emergency in all of New Jersey’s 21 counties, urging people to stay off the flooded roads.

The National Weather Service office in New York declared its first-ever set of flash flood emergencies in the region Wednesday night, an alert level that is reserved for "exceedingly rare situations when a severe threat to human life and catastrophic damage from a flash flood is happening or will happen soon."

Historic New York City flooding cripples Subway system and destroys homes update

The storm dumped massive amounts of rain in just a few hours causing widespread flooding across New York and New Jersey. Prospect Park in Brooklyn topped the list in New York City for rainfall totals with 8.8 inches of rain. Central Park got a total of 8.2 inches. The iconic Manhattan park also broke a record for the amount of rain that fell in one hour. 3.15 inches of rain fell between 8:51 p.m. and 9:51 p.m. That is, by far, the wettest hour ever recorded in New York City.

Ida, which made landfall on Sunday as a Category 4 hurricane with some of the strongest winds ever to slam Louisiana, is estimated to have caused billions in damage.

Its aftermath left more than a million customers without power in Louisiana and Mississippi and also left behind destruction and flooding. On Friday, the White House announced that President Joe Biden will travel to New Orleans to survey storm damage and meet with state and local leaders from impacted communities.

The National Weather Service had predicted flooding from what remained of Hurricane Ida, saying steep terrain and even city streets were particularly vulnerable to a band of severe weather that extended to Massachusetts, where tornado warnings were issued early Thursday.

The Associated Press contributed to this story. It was reported from Los Angeles and Cincinnati.