U.S. Reeling from Devastation of Hurricane Ida
September 9, 2021
Hurricane Ida broke many records. It was one of the strongest hurricanes to strike the U.S. mainland coming in behind Hurricane Katrina as the second-most damaging hurricane to hit Louisiana and destroy entire communities. It is also tied for the strongest landfall in the state by maximum winds with Hurricane Laura and the 1856 Last Island Hurricane.
Louisiana residents are suffering through power outages with more than 700,000 homes and business without power. Temperatures are expected to be in the high 80s or low 90s with humidity and other factors making it feel even hotter. The state is currently facing a fuel crisis which is driven by increased demand. This crisis is a critical problem on Louisiana’s road to recovery.
Heavy rain and flash floods combined with tornadoes wreaked havoc in the Northeast. Although the National Weather Service put the tri-state area under flash flood watch, many underestimated the severity of the storm. Residents of New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Connecticut watched events quickly unfold with power outages, submerged cars and damaged basements. There were at least 8 confirmed tornadoes in the Northeast.
More than 800 New York City subway passengers were rescued. New Rochelle saw upwards of seven to eight inches of rainfall.
New York officials attributed much of the flooding to the high volume of rainfall in a short span of time.
According to Gov. Kathy Hochul, New York suffered at least $50 million in damage from Hurricane Ida. The costs of repairing the aftereffects of the hurricane will grow in the upcoming weeks. Around 1,200 homes in New York were affected by the flooding. Residents are urging for federal aid to come sooner rather than later in this time of the pandemic.
There are at least 45 confirmed fatalities including our beloved Professors Ken and Fran Bailie.
The hurricane exposed New York City’s problem with illegal basement apartments as most of the victims were trapped in their homes. Mayor Bill de Blasio intends to address the issue by creating plans for emergency evacuation in situations such as Ida instead of a traditional crack down.
President Biden pledges to provide relief to those who were affected, underscoring his administration’s deployment of federal resources to impacted areas. He visited Louisiana and surveyed the damage, acknowledging residents’ frustrations over the fuel crisis. As well as declaring that an emergency exists in New Jersey and New York, he ordered federal assistance to supplement local response efforts. He will travel to New York and New Jersey in the following days to survey the damage.
The President has taken the opportunity to acknowledge climate change and urged for action. When in Louisiana, Biden stated that the severity of extreme weather is another reason why Congress should act on his “Build Back Better” agenda. Regional leaders echoed the President’s statements to prevent further incidents.
Information from lohud, Reuters, CNN, and the New York Post.
Sources:
https://www.cnn.com/us/live-news/ida-aftermath-09-02-21/index.html
https://www.cnn.com/2021/09/04/politics/joe-biden-hurricane-ida-new-york-new-jersey-visit/index.html
https://www.cnn.com/2021/09/03/weather/hurricane-ida-aftermath-louisiana-friday/index.html
