After striking Louisiana's coast on Sunday afternoon, Hurricane Ida made its way to the US states of Pennsylvania, New Jersey and New York. The massive storm's 150-mph winds "tied it with other previous hurricanes as the fifth strongest hurricane to ever hit the United States' mainland", according to USA today, prompting the Biden administration to compare it to Hurricane Katrina.
The death toll from rainstorms and floods due to Hurricane Ida in the northeastern United States rose to more than 40, The Guardian reported citing local authorities.
The National Hurricane Center warned of the possibility of “significant and life-threatening flash flooding”.
According to local authorities, the most recent deaths were mostly registered in the states of New Jersey and New York: 23 and 15, respectively. Five more deaths have been reported in Pennsylvania and one each in Maryland and Connecticut.
On 1 September, New York announced a catastrophic flash flood warning due to heavy rains.
More than 1 million residents of Louisiana and Mississippi still remain without power.