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Viral videos show flooded NY streets and subway stations, 8 dead after record rains

At least eight New York City subway lines were suspended and another 10 were partially suspended

While Hurricane Ida weakened after wreaking havoc on Louisiana and Mississippi, its remnants caused chaos in the New York area, shutting down transit and leaving a trail of dead bodies behind. At least nine people were killed as Ida battered New York and New Jersey with tornadoes, record rain, and flooding. And videos of the chaotic scenes that were captured by locals have gone viral online.

As per an NBC News report, four women, three men, and a two-year-old boy died in five separate flooding incidents in New York City, police said. In Passaic, New Jersey, firefighters recovered a body from a vehicle that went underwater when it was caught in floodwaters near the Passaic River, the town's mayor said.

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"We’re enduring a historic weather event tonight with record-breaking rain across the city, brutal flooding, and dangerous conditions on our roads," New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said of the storm as the daily rainfall total at Central Park recorded 7.13 inches on Wednesday, September 1, breaking the previous record of 3.84 inches set in 1927. Newark logged 8.41 inches of rain, surpassing its record of 2.22 inches in 1959.

The weather and flooding brought New York transit to a near standstill, with service suspended or severely limited across the subway system. Footage of this was captured by several people. One video was tweeted with the caption, “Waterfall down the stairs at 145th Street station, 1 Train, in #Manhattan, #NYC. Flash #flood warnings are in effect until 11:30 pm.” Another person tweeted with a video: “Jefferson street subway station taking on water as train pulls up.” Another account tweeted a video saying, “Wild scene in the subway tonight.”

At least eight New York City subway lines were suspended and another 10 were partially suspended, according to the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s website. Metro-North Railroad urged people to not travel. 

One person tweeted videos and photos from the 14th Street subway, writing, 14th Street subway FLOODED & ON FIRE. #Flood from #Ida halting 1/2/3 service at 14th with the 3rd rail igniting earlier. INSANE video!!” Another tweeted a video from Knickerbocker Avenue, and wrote, “Bushwick floods. Knickerbocker Avenue. Stay safe!” One horrifying video was captioned, “Cars are floating in rego park queens!”

About 200 people were rescued from a train near Newark Airport on Wednesday night as heavy rains and flooding shut down major train routes and other transit passageways throughout the New York region. The passengers had been stuck in a train near the airport for about three and a half hours before they were rescued at about 9 pm. As per Jim Smith, spokesman for New Jersey Transit, no injuries were reported.

Others shared the conditions inside their homes as water flooded in. “VIDEO: Heavy flooding in Boro Park, Brooklyn,” read one tweet showing a flooded apartment. ‘My basement bathroom right now courtesy of #HurricaneIda #nyc #brooklyn #flooding #floods,” wrote another person alongside a video of an overflowing toilet. 

As per reports, a tornado in southern New Jersey leveled a stretch of houses. Many drivers have reportedly been stranded since Wednesday night. And more than 200,000 homes in New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania were without power at the time of writing this.