President Biden to survey Ida damage in New York and New Jersey
President Biden will travel to Queens, New York, and Manville, New Jersey, next week to survey storm damage from the remnants of Hurricane Ida, the White House said Saturday. He will make the trip on Tuesday, days after visiting Louisiana, which was also battered by Ida.
At least 49 storm-related deaths have been reported in the Northeast, including 13 in New York City and 27 in New Jersey. Another 16 people died in the Southeast.
"Storms affect all of us, but what we've got to recognize is the suddenness, the brutality of storms now, it is different," New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said as the city worked to recover.
Record rainfall in the Northeast on Wednesday caused unprecedented flooding, catching many people by surprise in their cars and homes. The rare weather was described as a once-in-500-years event, now all the more common because of climate change.
In New Jersey, some neighborhoods were still underwater on Saturday and residents were pumping water out of their basements, CBS New York reported. The governor was expected to visit Piscataway, one of the state's hardest-hit communities.
In Manville, which the president will visit, homes were still filled to the brim with water on Friday. The Dommar family returned to find their house had exploded.
"We had a neighbor actually who lives in Manville on the other side, who warned us about the water rising. So we decided, because we had a baby, let's go. If we didn't have the baby, we probably would've stayed," said Meagan Dommar.
Business owners along Main Street pumped out basements and tossed out thousands of dollars worth of food.
"I lost everything," said business owner Rebeca Jimenez.