At least 26 people have died after flash floods triggered by hurricane Ida hit parts of New York, New Jersey, and across the northeast US, local media reported on Thursday (local time).
Eight people were confirmed dead in New York City, including a 2-year-old boy, a 48-year-old female and a 50-year-old man who were all found inside a home in the Jamaica neighborhood of Queens as a result of the severe weather, Fox News reported.
Officials said at least eight people died in New Jersey - four were found dead in an apartment complex in Elizabeth, the city's mayor and a spokesperson told local media.
Three people died in Pennsylvania's suburban Montgomery County and Connecticut State Police and local authorities said an on-duty state trooper was swept away in his cruiser and later taken to a hospital. A 19-year-old man was found dead in Maryland.
The remnants of Ida brought record levels of rain to the mid-Atlantic and northeast US.
Early on Thursday afternoon, US President Joe Biden said that he had spoken with New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy and intended to speak with Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf.
"We want to express my heartfelt thanks to all the first responders and everyone working through the night well into the morning to save lives and get power back," Fox News quoted Biden as saying.
"There's a lot of damage. I made clear to the governors: My team at the Federal Emergency Management Agency, FEMA, is on the ground ready to provide all the assistance that's needed," said Biden.
On Wednesday, the US had deployed thousands of National Guard troops to aid first responders by rescuing trapped victims, clearing roads and distributing food and water in the aftermath of Hurricane Ida.
"More than 5,400 Guardsmen from 11 states were in Louisiana on Wednesday, assisted first responders with 36 aircraft, 74 boats, 198 high-water vehicles, generators and engineers," National Guard Bureau General Daniel Hokanson said in a press release on Wednesday.
( With inputs from ANI )
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