Shocking images show aftermath of monster tornado caused by Ida that ripped through one New Jersey neighborhood as devastation to the Northeast is revealed and Biden heads to Louisiana to inspect hurricane damage
Dramatic images taken after a tornado spawned by the remnants of Hurricane Ida tore through a New Jersey neighborhood show homes left splintered and torn apart in its wake.
The National Weather Service said the ferocious storm pawned at least 10 tornadoes from Maryland to Massachusetts, including the 150-mph twister that levelled homes and toppled silos in Mullica Hill, New Jersey, south of Philadelphia.
Meanwhile, President Joe Biden will travel to Louisiana on Friday to get a first-hand look at the destruction wrought by Ida, which devastated the southern portion of the state and left 1 million people without power.
'It just came through and ripped,' said Mullica Hill resident Jeanine Zubrzycki, 33, who hid in her basement with her three children as their house shook and lights flickered. 'And then you could just hear people crying,' said Zubrzycki, 33, whose home was damaged but remained livable.
Pictures from the census-designated neighborhood showed that others were not so lucky, with some homes completely destroyed by the tornado, leaving nothing but piles of wood and brick.
The National Weather Service reported that debris from the destroyed homes and pulled into the tornado had reached the atmosphere, soaring around 23,000 feet into the air before landing miles away from the town.
One resident told NBC Philadelphia that he watched his neighbors home being torn about while taking shelter with his wife and children.
'I heard the rumble and I seen stuff flying and I told my wife and kids to get in the basement,' he said. 'And I looked out the window and I seen their house going. First thing I did was run over to their house to make sure they were alright.'
Glen Pickell told the network despite the tornado warnings, he didn't think there was anything to be worried about, telling his son: 'we don't get tornadoes.'
'We didn't think anything was going to happen then all of a sudden you hear the rumbling,' Pickell said. 'You look outside and it's like everybody get your butts in the basement. It didn't last that long. Maybe five minutes. But once it was over, it's crazy. You could see the damage it did.'
Firefighters and emergency responders were going from house to house to check that everyone was safe, and looking for any possible victims that may have been trapped. 'Every house we've checked, they're safe,' one firefighter told NBC10.
Today, Biden is to meet Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards and local officials about the hurricane, which is providing the president with a tough test just after the chaotic withdrawal of U.S. forces from Afghanistan.
Hurricane Ida struck the Gulf coast last weekend and carved a northern path through the eastern United States, culminating with torrential rains and widespread flooding in New York, New Jersey and surrounding areas on Wednesday.
On Thursday, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said it has dispatched a surveillance aircraft to an area in Louisiana hard hit by Hurricane Ida that includes a refinery where an apparent oil spill has been reported.
Several homes in Mullica Hill were destroyed as Ida's remnants caused a tornado to rip through the neighborhood, tearing off roofs and in some cases completely destroying the buildings, September 2, 2021
Ashley Thomas, right, is embraced by her mother Paula Menzoni Thursday, Sept. 2, 2021 after Thomas' home was severely damaged by a tornado in Mullica Hill, N.J
Several homes in Mullica Hill, New Jersey were destroyed or severely damaged Wednesday. Pictured: People stand among the ruin of a home destroyed in the tornado, September 2, 2021
A woman takes a picture of s home damaged by a tornado in Mullica Hill, New Jersey on September 2, 2021 after record-breaking rainfall brought by the remnants of Storm Ida swept through the are
A group of Navy recruiters based in Philadelphia who wished to not give their names help clear debris from the house of Ashley Thomas which was destroyed by a tornado in Mullica Hill, New Jersey on September 2, 2021
Residents look at homes that were damaged by a tornado in Mullica Hill, New Jersey on September 2, 2021
A home damaged by a tornado is seen in Mullica Hill , New Jersey on September 2, 2021
A worker carries timber on a roof and begins the long process of fixing homes that were damaged by a tornado that touched down in Mullica Hill , New Jersey on September 2, 2021
Pictured: The National Weather Service, Mount Holly called the tornado 'impressive', noting that it pulled debris from the destroyed homes into the air, some of which reached the atmosphere, soaring around 23,000 feet before landing miles away
Pictured: Three images released by the National Weather Service showing debris being taken by the tornado being picked up on sensor. Some of it reached thousands of feet into the air
The fifth most powerful hurricane to strike the United States came ashore in southern Louisiana on Sunday, knocking out power for more than a million customers and water for another 600,000 people, creating miserable conditions for the afflicted who are also enduring suffocating heat and humidity.
At least nine deaths were reported in Louisiana, with another 45 killed as flash flooding and tornadoes hit the Northeast on Wednesday night.
'My message to everyone affected is: We're all in this together. The nation is here to help,' Biden said on Thursday.
Biden will tour a neighborhood in LaPlace, a small community about 35 miles west of New Orleans that was devastated by flooding, downed trees and other storm damage, and deliver remarks about his administration's response.
He will take an aerial tour of hard hit communities, including Laffite, Grand Isle, Port Fourchon and Lafourche Parish, before meeting with local leaders in Galliano, Louisiana, the White House said.
Officials who have flown over the storm damage reported astounding scenes of small towns turned into piles of matchsticks and massive vessels hurled about by the wind.
Edwards said he would present Biden with a long list of needs including fuel shipments as most of the area's refining capacity was knocked offline and mile-long lines have formed at gas stations and emergency supply distribution centers.
At Biden's direction, Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm on Thursday authorized an exchange of 1.5 million barrels of oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) to Exxon Mobil to relieve fuel disruptions in the wake of the hurricane.
While Louisiana tries to recover from the storm, the New York area was still dealing with crippling floods from Ida.
People across large swaths of New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Connecticut spent Thursday coping with water-logged basements, power outages, damaged roofs and calls for help from friends and relatives stranded by flooding.
Flash flooding killed at least 45 people in the Northeast, including 23 in New Jersey alone and 12 in New York City as cleanup is underway from the 'historic' weather event that officials blamed on climate change.
Biden approved an emergency declaration in the states of New Jersey and New York and ordered federal assistance to supplement state and local response efforts, the White House said late on Thursday.
Images from space taken both before and after Ida blasted through the Northeast United States on Wednesday and dumped historic levels of rain showed the scale of the devastation.
The destructive flooding was felt in New Jersey, where satellite images showed a baseball stadium that is home to the New York Yankees minor league affiliate submerged in water.
TD Bank Ballpark in Bridgewater, home of the Somerset Patriots, saw the water level cover not just the baseball field but several rows of the stands as well.
The Patriots are the Yankees' AA affiliate.
Maxar Technologies on Thursday also released images showing the town of Manville, New Jersey both before and after torrential downpours left it completely flooded.
At least 23 people died in New Jersey, Governor Phil Murphy told reporters.
The image above shows an aerial view of flooded streets in the Town of Bound Brook in New Jersey on Thursday
The death toll in the Northeast United States from the remnants of Hurricane Ida rose to 45 on Thursday after the region was hit by record rains and dangerous floods. The image above shows Bound Brook, New Jersey on Thursday
President Joe Biden on Thursday approved a request from New Jersey's governor, Phil Murphy, to declare the Garden State a disaster area. Bound Brook, New Jersey is seen above on Thursday
Twins Rasmus and Peter Meyer Rader, 5, and their friend, Linus Bonet Demming, 4, explore a flooded area surrounding a park in Brooklyn on Thursday
The Manayunk neighborhood in Philadelphia is flooded on Thursday after the area was pounded by remnants of Hurricane Ida
'The majority of these deaths were individuals who got caught in their vehicles,' he said.
Murphy on Thursday requested that President Joe Biden issue a major disaster declaration due to the impact from the remnants of Ida. Biden accepted the governor's request.
The New York Police Department said that out of 12 people who died in the city, one of them perished in a car and 11 in flooded basement apartments that often serve as relatively affordable homes in one of the nation´s most expensive housing markets. The victims ranged from the ages of 2 to 86.
Five people died in Pennsylvania; one in Maryland; and one in Connecticut.
'Among the people MOST at risk during flash floods here are those living in off-the-books basement dwellings that don't meet the safety codes necessary to save lives,' lawmaker Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez tweeted.
Residents sort through damaged and destroyed items after a night of heavy rain and wind caused many homes to flood on September 2, 2021 in the Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City
A person carrying a bag of potatoes walks past a gas station in the Whitestone neighborhood of Queens that was heavily damaged after a night of extremely heavy rain and wind on September 2, 2021 in New York Cit
A woman stands next to a car damaged by a downed tree in Corona, Queens, New York City, New York, USA, 02 September 2021 after the remnants of Hurricane Ida produced heavy rain and caused widespread flooding
Resident Daniel Zubrzycki walks with his family through debris cleared in the aftermath of a tornado in Mullica Hill, New Jersey on September 2, 2021
A person cleans the porch of their house after a night of high winds and rain from the remnants of Hurricane Ida on September 2, 2021 in Mamaroneck, New York
Rainfall from the remnants of Hurricane Ida submerge Barnes Field in Bristol, Connecticut on Thursday
Cars are left stranded in flood water under a bridge on Thursday after the remnants of Hurricane Ida produced heavy rain and caused widespread flooding in New York City
Members of the Lodi, New Jersey Fire Department perform water rescues of trapped residents following torrential rains from the remnants of Hurricane Ida on Thursday
In the wake of Ida, the Schuylkill River crested above its banks, flooding the Philadelphia neighborhood of Manayunk on Thursday
The image above from Thursday shows the view of a car damaged by a downed tree after the remnants of Hurricane Ida produced heavy rain and caused widespread flooding in New York
People navigate heavy rains and flooded walkways at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows, New York on Wednesday night
'These are working class, immigrant, and low-income people & families,' she added.
Three also died in the New York suburb of Westchester while another three died in Montgomery County outside Philadelphia in Pennsylvania, a local official confirmed.
A Connecticut state police sergeant perished after his cruiser was swept away.
Flooding closed major roads across New Jersey and New York boroughs including Manhattan, The Bronx and Queens, submerging cars and forcing the fire department to rescue hundreds of people.
At least 23 people died in New Jersey, Governor Phil Murphy told reporters.
'The majority of these deaths were individuals who got caught in their vehicles,' he said.
Murphy on Thursday requested that President Joe Biden issue a major disaster declaration due to the impact from the remnants of Ida. Biden accepted the governor's request.
In New York City, Sophy Liu roused her son from bed and put him in a life jacket and inflatable swimming ring as their first-floor apartment flooded in Queens.
Unable to open the door against the force of the water, she called friends for help. The water was nearly 5 feet high when they came to her rescue, she said.
'I was obviously scared, but I had to be strong for my son. I had to calm him down,' she recalled Thursday as medical examiners removed three bodies from a home down the street.
Cars and trucks are stranded by high water on the Major Deegan Expressway in The Bronx on Thursday
Buses, UPS delivery trucks, and trailers stand idle on the Major Deegan Expressway in The Bronx on Thursday
A person who eventually waded to a truck moves amongst cars and other trucks that are stranded by high water on the Major Deegan Expressway in The Bronx on Thursday
The water nearly engulfs the stranded vehicles on the Major Deegan Expressway in The Bronx on Thursday
Passersby watch as cars are left stranded on the Major Deegan Expressway in The Bronx on Thursday
The Major Deegan Expressway (above) was one of several New York City highways that were underwater on Thursday
Sections of the FDR Drive in Manhattan, the Bronx River Parkway, and the Brooklyn Queens Expressway were also flooded. The Major Deegan Expressway in The Bronx is seen above
Record rainfall, which prompted an unprecedented flash flood emergency warning for New York City, turned streets into rivers and shut down subway services as water cascaded down platforms onto tracks.
'I'm 50 years old and I've never seen that much rain ever,' said Metodija Mihajlov whose basement of his Manhattan restaurant was flooded with three inches of water.
'It was like living in the jungle, like tropical rain. Unbelievable. Everything is so strange this year,' he told AFP.
In another part of Queens, water rapidly filled Deborah Torres' first-floor apartment to her knees as her landlord frantically urged her neighbors below - who included a baby - to get out, she said.
But the water rushed in so strongly that she surmised they weren't able to open the door. The three residents died.
'I have no words,' she said. 'How can something like this happen?'
Ida's remnants maintained a soggy core, then merged with a more traditional storm front and dropped an onslaught of rain on the Interstate 95 corridor, meteorologists said.
Similar weather has followed hurricanes before, but experts said it was slightly exacerbated by climate change - warmer air holds more rain - and urban settings, where expansive pavement prevents water from seeping into the ground.
The National Hurricane Center had warned since Tuesday of the potential for 'significant and life-threatening flash flooding' and moderate and major river flooding in the mid-Atlantic region and New England.
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