Hurricane Ida death toll nears 60 as nations begin combing debris | Tornadoes

[ad_1]

The death toll from Hurricane Ida in the United States rose to 60 on Saturday, nearly a week after one of the most powerful storms to hit the mainland United States made landfall in Louisiana. Two evacuees in a nursing home have been confirmed dead in the southern state.

In the northeastern states, many began Labor Day weekend digging through the debris left by the rains that caused flooding and tornadoes on Wednesday and Thursday, killing at least 50 people and halting public transportation.

In New York City, operators promised to bring back some passenger lines before the start of the work week on Tuesday.

In Louisiana, the death toll from the storm has risen to nine. With more than a million without power, and many having to stand in long lines at gas stations, struggling to find fuel for generators, nerves often caught on. The service providers said most, but not all, affected Louisiana residents will be back in power by the middle of next week.

The newly reported deaths among evacuees at the Tangipahoa Parish warehouse are now under investigation after reports of dire conditions.

“This brings the death toll of nursing home residents who have been evacuated to this facility to six,” the state health department said.

Joseph Lupinto, mayor of Jefferson Parish, said authorities were also looking for a suspect after a man was shot dead during a dispute Friday at a gas station in Metairie.

“For someone to lose their life because of getting gas is absolutely ridiculous,” Lupinto said.

The hot weather continued in Louisiana about a week after Ida made landfall as a Category 4 hurricane, knocking down trees and power lines with winds of up to 172 miles per hour.

In the middle of the week, people were killed in Connecticut, Maryland, Pennsylvania, New York and New Jersey, with at least 26 people killed, the most in any other state. Most of them drowned after flash floods were suspended.

The White House said Joe Biden will conduct a storm damage survey in New York and Manville, New Jersey on Tuesday.

After touring a flood-ravaged apartment complex on the banks of the Raritan River in Piscataway on Saturday, New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy warned of residual pollutants.

“You have to assume the worst,” he said. “If you’re there, you want to open the windows and doors.”

A record 3 inches of rain fell within an hour in New York City on Wednesday night. By Thursday afternoon, it had fallen nearly 7 1/2 inches, according to the National Weather Service. Eleven people died in the flooded basement apartments.

On Saturday, the city opened service centers in every district to connect people with housing, food and advice. Christina Farrell, a spokeswoman for the Office of Emergency Management, said 77 people displaced by the storm were being accommodated in hotels.

In Connecticut, funeral arrangements have been made for Brian Mohl, a state police sergeant who washed up with his vehicle while on duty in Woodbury.

The northeast may not be entirely clear, as Hurricane Larry intensified about 1,055 miles east of the Leeward Islands.

“High waves may approach the northeast coast by the end of the week, with Larry staying offshore,” said meteorologist Bob Oravec, of the National Weather Prediction Center in College Park, Maryland.

[ad_2]