Several tornadoes touched down in New Jersey, wreaking destruction through communities as the remnants of Hurricane Ida hit the East Coast, also triggering New York City’s first ever flash flood emergency amid a massive downpour.
Twisters were spotted in multiple locations across New Jersey on Wednesday evening, with dramatic videos circulating on social media showing massive funnel clouds touching down.
Extensive damage to homes was also seen in other videos making the rounds, as well as flooded streets in Hoboken.
In the Big Apple, meanwhile, the city’s National Weather Service (NWS) issued its first-ever flash flood emergency, while the main NWS branch warned of an “extremely dangerous and life-threatening situation.”
New York’s streets, and even some apartments and backyards, were seen drenched by the torrential rains, virtually shutting down some roadways.
The city’s subways also saw major flooding, with some terminals verging on becoming canals as water gushed in.
Later on Wednesday night, New York Mayor Bill de Blasio declared a city-wide state of emergency over the “historic weather event” and “brutal flooding.” He was soon followed by Governor Kathy Hochul, who announced an emergency declaration for the state during an interview with local media, citing “catastrophic levels of water.”
New Jersey’s Governor Phil Murphy did much the same, imposing a state of emergency “effective immediately” in response to the nasty weather.
The freak weather comes as the remnants of tropical storm Ida – which made landfall as a category 4 hurricane – makes its way through the East Coast. While Ida was downgraded to a tropical depression on Monday, it has nonetheless brought severe weather to cities in its path, having devastated swaths of Louisiana and Mississippi after first reaching land.
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