At Least 46 Killed in Ida Backlash, Rescue Operations and Clean-Up Efforts Underway

Tragedy in the northeast where remnants of Hurricane Ida have killed as many as 46 people after battering the East Coast with flash floods and tornadoes. 

Several states are still counting the dead as first responders continue rescue operations while trying to contain the floodwater. Many rivers in the region are seeing their highest flood designations ever. 

Both New York and New Jersey issued a state of emergency. New York City received its first-ever flood emergency warning after record-breaking rain turned streets and subway tunnels into rushing rivers. 

Many of those that died were helplessly stranded in their cars and flooded basement apartments.

Three to five inches of rain fell in just one hour at Central Park. Some of the hardest-hit areas in New York and New Jersey saw more than eight inches of precipitation.

Tornado funnels were caught on camera near a turnpike in Bristol, Penn.  Another in Mullica Hill, New Jersey, left nine homes in shambles. Floodwaters not seen in a century have crippled Philadelphia and Pittsburgh. 

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Rescues are still underway as crews search flooded streets and homes across the ravaged northeast. Ida's recent path of destruction extends from the Appalachian Mountains to Massachusetts. 

"Ida is the fifth largest hurricane in our history," said President Joe Biden. "New York recorded more rain yesterday, the first day of September than it usually sees in the entire month." 

President Biden will visit Louisiana on Friday as crews clean up debris and power companies restore electricity in the sweltering heat. Only a small portion of New Orleans has restored power. Almost one million people in the Pelican State remain in the dark. Nearly a million more are without electricity across the storm's path. In addition to no power, there's little to no water, and gas stations are running on empty. 

To donate to the Louisiana relief efforts: https://www.ob.org/disaster-relief/

The National Guard has dispatched 6,000 troops to the hardest-hit area. Fifty shelters are open across the Gulf Coast. A colossal crew of 250,000 linemen from more than 30 states are working to restore power. 

Anyone needing assistance from the storm is asked to go to disasterassistance.gov.