At least nine people are feared dead after relentless rainfall from tropical storm Ida continued into the early hours of Thursday and drenched the New York area, leaving major roads and subway stations submerged under water.
The governors of New York and New Jersey declared a state of emergency, while New York City (NYC) mayor Bill de Blasio labelled it a “historic weather event”.
At least 3in (8cm) of rain fell in just one hour in New York’s Central Park, according to local media.
Police in NYC reported seven deaths, including a 50-year-old man, a 48-year-old woman and a 2-year-old boy who were found unconscious and unresponsive late on Wednesday inside a home. They were pronounced dead at the scene, police said. A further two deaths occurred in New Jersey, NBC reports.
Almost all subway lines in NYC and New Jersey Transit rail services were suspended late on Wednesday, while non-emergency vehicles were banned from the streets until 5am on Thursday due to the weather.
Flash-flood emergencies have also been issued by the National Weather Service, stretching from just west of Philadelphia to northern New Jersey.
At least one person was killed in flash flooding that inundated the New Jersey city of Passaic, mayor Hector Lora told CNN.
Mr Lora said the body of a man in his seventies was retrieved from floodwaters.
The vehicle the man was travelling in was swept away by the water, and firefighters were in turn swept under the vehicle making it nearly impossible for them to reach the man, CNN reported.
NBC New York reported that one more person had died in New Jersey and seven had died in New York City, including a 2-year-old boy. Local media reported that people had been trapped in their basements as the storm sent water surging through the city.
New York City mayor Bill de Blasio described the flooding and weather as an “historic weather event” as he urged people to stay indoors.
Storm damage from Ida astounded officials three days after the powerful hurricane pounded southern Louisiana, as reconnaissance flights revealed entire communities devastated by wind and floods.
Tornadoes spawned by the storm ripped through parts of Pennsylvania and New Jersey, images on social media showed.
At least nine homes were destroyed in Mullica Hill, New Jersey, Philadelphia’s NBC10 television station reported.
New Jersey’s Newark Liberty Airport suspended all flight activity late on Wednesday after experiencing “severe flooding” but later resumed “limited flight operations” close to midnight.
New York City also experienced flooding, with social media images showing water gushing over subway platforms and trains.
First responders evacuated people from the subway system, the chief executive of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority said in a statement.
Additional reporting by agencies
