The south and northeast of the United States are grappling with the aftermath of Hurricane Ida. President Biden travels to New Orleans, Louisiana, which has been particularly hard hit. And forest fires continue to rage in the west.
Washington / New York – The clean-up work after the devastating storms with dozens of deaths as a result of Hurricane “Ida” continues in several US states. In many places, houses, streets and railways are still under water, as US media reported on Friday night (local time).
Hundreds of thousands of residents are still without electricity. The damage ran into the billions. President Joe Biden plans to visit the disaster area in the south of the country later in the day.
MUST SEE 👀
A camera captured a #tornado heading directly for the Burlington Bristol Bridge in New Jersey Wednesday evening. pic.twitter.com/3E2lfGklRl
— WeatherNation (@WeatherNation) September 2, 2021
According to the emergency services, 46 people died in heavy rains and floods on Wednesday and Thursday in the northeast of the country alone, including 23 in New Jersey, 16 in the city of New York and the surrounding area, 5 in Pennsylvania and one each in Connecticut and Maryland . In addition, according to the National Weather Service (NWS), at least eight tornadoes caused severe damage, especially in New Jersey. 13 more deaths were reported after the arrival of “Ida” on Sunday in the states of Louisiana and Mississippi, so that there have been at least 59 fatalities so far.
Hundreds of thousands in the south without electricity
As the White House announced, Biden will travel to New Orleans, Louisiana. There alone around 850,000 households and companies are still without electricity, according to data from the poweroutage.us website. As a force four (of five) hurricane, “Ida” initially wreaked havoc in the southern United States. Then the storm weakened overland and moved on to the northeast.
Within a very short time, the storm there turned into raging rivers on Wednesday evening, people were trapped in their cars by the deadly masses of water. “It’s absolutely heartbreaking,” said New York State Governor Kathy Hochul. She spoke on CNN of a “devastating event” and “unexpected torrential rains”. In New York’s Central Park, for example, 80 millimeters of rain fell within an hour – the all-time high for New York of 49 millimeters, which was only reached at the end of August, was literally pulverized.
“We are in an era in which historical rains are becoming the norm,” said Hochul. “That won’t be a rare occurrence.” In the city of New York, in the state of the same name and in New Jersey, a state of emergency has been declared.
Biden: “The climate crisis is here”
The White House had announced Biden’s visit to the disaster area in New Orleans on Wednesday afternoon – a few hours before the disastrous rains in the northeast. Biden said Thursday that “Ida” was the fifth largest hurricane in the United States on record. In California, in the western United States, violent forest fires continue to rage. Biden pledged support to those affected by the natural disasters.
The past few days of Hurricane Ida, wildfires in the West, and unprecedented flash floods in New York and New Jersey are another reminder that the climate crisis is here.
We need to be better prepared. That’s why I’m urging Congress to act and pass my Build Back Better plan.
— President Biden (@POTUS) September 2, 2021
“Hurricane” Ida “, the wildfires in the west and the unprecedented floods in New York and New Jersey in the past few days are another reminder that the climate crisis is here,” wrote Biden on Twitter. “We have to be better prepared.” The infrastructure must be adapted to the tougher conditions. The US President called on Congress to pass appropriate laws. Biden has made the fight against climate change one of his most important goals. dpa
