Ida’s death toll soars after record rains flood New York area

New York, September 3 (RHC)-- The death toll from unprecedented flooding in the northeastern U.S. has risen to 46, after the remnants of Hurricane Ida left a trail of destruction from Pennsylvania to Massachusetts.

Much of Philadelphia’s Vine Street Expressway completely flooded, resembling a canal running through the city’s center.

In New York City, the bodies of at least 11 people were found in flooded basement apartments.  A growing number of poor and working-class people — many of them immigrants — have been forced into illegal basement dwellings due to a shortage of affordable housing.

On Thursday, Mayor Bill de Blasio joined Governor Kathy Hochul and Senator Chuck Schumer Thursday in demanding that Congress pass a federal infrastructure bill to help cities prepare for the climate crisis.

Mayor Bill de Blasio: “What we’ve got to recognize is the suddenness, the brutality of storms now, it is different: a record set two weeks ago, another record set now, rainfall like we haven’t seen ever before.  This is the biggest wake-up call we could possibly get.”

Hurricane Ida’s death toll along the Gulf Coast has risen to 16.  More than 830,000 customers remain without power, and Louisiana officials say critical shortages of fuel are hampering relief efforts.

In other news, State and federal officials are investigating reports of oil and chemical spills along the Gulf Coast in the wake of Hurricane Ida. 

The investigations come after the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration published aerial photos showing miles of oil slicks along the Mississippi River and in the Gulf of Mexico, including spills near a Phillips 66 refinery and an Enterprise Offshore Drilling platform.