NEW YORK – President Joe Biden will visit Manville in New Jersey and Queens County in New York City on Tuesday, September 7 to assess the damage left by the devastating passage of Ida in our region, the White House announced Saturday in a statement.
Manville was hit hard by flooding from Ida overnight on Wednesday, and much of that region along the Raritan River was flooded.
“Residents should be aware that Manville has experienced significant flash flooding tonight,” the Manville Office of Emergency Management said in a message to residents early Thursday.
The Raritan River, which reached 26.85 feet at 6:00 a.m. Thursday in Manville, more than 12 feet above its 14-foot flood level. The city also suffered a severe fire in the midst of the catastrophe.
For its part, the county of Queens was one of the most affected by the floods in the Great Block where at least 11 people died in their homes.
“Now this happens to us after two months of losing my other brother,” said the sister of one of the victims. “Losing my older brother, a healthy man.”
The president’s trip to our area will take place after his visit to New Orleans, Louisiana, which was the area most impacted by the floods and strong winds left by the powerful Hurricane Ida.. Here, Biden walked some streets to assess the damage caused by Hurricane Ida and previously met with state and local leaders from affected communities. It is expected to do the same in our region.
The White House did not release details of what the president’s tour of our area would look like, but said it would release them soon.
Biden had already approved disaster declarations for New York and New Jersey to help the tens of thousands of people affected by Ida.
More than 40 people died in the Garden State and New York, including a 2-year-old boy, a natural phenomenon that turned streets into rivers after historic floods, paralyzed public transportation and caused states of emergency for both states.
Resource Guide for the Tri-State Area After Ida’s Catastrophic Passage.
New Jersey focuses on recovery after Ida, while the death toll in the Garden State rises to 25. Ricardo Villarini reports.
The number of victims in the three states continued to rise through Friday and could continue to rise, despite historic rains, tornadoes and strong winds already leaving our region.
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio introduced a new approach on Friday to handle severe weather that will “bluntly be a shakeup for people,” but he says is necessary to address increasingly frequent major flood events..
De Blasio and Gov. Kathy Hochul called the scale of the disaster unprecedented and unforeseen, given weather forecasts of 3 to 6 inches of rain over the course of a day. Instead, the city saw its “greatest hour of rain” in its history. Central Park ended with more than 7 inches of rain, as did downtown Manhattan.
Ida marks the latest devastation for New York City and neighboring New Jersey still struggling to emerge from a COVID-19 pandemic that has claimed tens of thousands of lives.
New York City and state officials called the scale of this disaster unforeseen, with many others similarly wondering how Ida could cause such devastation 1,000 miles and days after where it made landfall.
“We did not know that between 8:50 and 9:50 at night the skies would literally open and bring the water level of Niagara Falls to the streets of New York,” Governor Kathy Hochul said Thursday in a briefing in Queens. “Could it have been anticipated? I want to find out.”
On Saturday New York City opened five help centers, one in each county, to help residents affected by Ida’s devastating floods.
Meanwhile, the Atlantic hurricane season shows no signs of slowing down.
LThe Weather Authority (LAEET) is tracking Tropical Storm Larry which became a hurricane early Thursday morning.
Check out the latest severe weather alerts for your neighborhood here.
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