Death toll from Hurricane Ida has risen to 45 across U.S Northeast States.
Gatekeepers News reports that deaths were recorded from six states; New Jersey, New York City, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Maryland and Virginia.
New Jersey Governor, Phil Murphy said no fewer than 23 people died in his State. Most of them were stuck in their vehicles as the waters rose.
In New York City, about 14 people lost their lives, including a two-year-old boy. Eleven of them drowned while trapped in their flooded basements, according to officials.
Also, five people died in Pennsylvania, while a state trooper in Connecticut was swept away as he responded to a call.
Deaths were also reported in Maryland and Virginia.
US President Joe Biden noted that “historic investment” is needed to deal with the climate crisis which he described as “a matter of life and death”.
Meanwhile, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio has slammed weather experts, saying their forecasts were being “made a mockery of in a matter of minutes”.
He said he had been warned to expect between three and six inches (7.5 and 15cm) of rain over the course of the day. However a record 3.15 inches fell in Central Park in just one hour.
“The suddenness, the brutality of storms now, it is different,” he said, adding that the latest extreme weather was “the biggest wake-up call”.
