Ida live updates: Gov. Murphy says 23 NJ residents have died, most trapped in cars as floodwaters rose – NorthJersey.com
The remnants of Hurricane Ida has taken 23 lives across New Jersey, left thousands without power and dozens of streets underwater. And just as towns are grappling with the scope of the damage, more flooding is looming as rivers are predicted to crest over the next 12 to 24 hours.
The intense rain — at times reaching rates of more than 3 inches per hour — flooded out roads and highways, the baggage claim at Newark Liberty Airport’s Terminal B, and downtown streets.
In Passaic, a man was killed after Ida’s floodwaters engulfed the car he was in. Firefighters and rescue crews pulled two men from a submerged car, but were unable to save the third occupant.
“They tried to do all they could to rescue this man,” Passaic Mayor Hector Lora said.
Rescue workers were also searching for two more people, Lora said.
A second death in the area was confirmed by Bloomfield Mayor Michael Venezia, who said a resident died while trying to hook something up outside during the storm.
Gov. Phil Murphy said that most of the 23 deaths across the state were people stuck in cars as floodwaters overtook their vehicles.
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The storm led Murphy to declare a state of emergency late Wednesday as officials looked to clear the roads of travelers as rescue teams and first responders swarmed to hard-hit areas.
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The National Weather Service issued flash flood warnings across North Jersey and kept extending them into the night.
Continue to check back for updates on Ida’s impact on New Jersey. Live updates are below, with the latest at the top.
Confirmed deaths
City officials also fear that a woman and child who were in the car with the man were swept away by water.
The man has not yet been identified.
Venezia said the Bloomfield man’s death is under investigation. The man was not identified.
In Elizabeth, five people died in an apartment complex that flooded, and two people were found dead in a submerged vehicle in Hillsborough
Missing persons
Tragedy struck in Woodland Park when a woman was swept away in flood waters on Lackawanna Avenue near Filippone Way after getting out of her car when it became trapped in the floods, according to acting police Chief John Uzzalino.
Two bystanders attempted to help the woman before she succumbed to the flood waters that fed into Dowling Brook and, eventually, the Passaic River, Uzzalino said. The two people who attempted to help the woman also became trapped in the currents until first responders rescued them.
Uzzalino said police are still searching for the woman, who they identified as Donna Lomagro, 56, of Little Falls as of 3:30 p.m. Thursday. She is 5 feet tall and weighs approximately 120 pounds.
Anyone who sees her is asked to contact Sgt. Leonard Schaefer (973) 345-8117 or at lschaefer@wpnj.us.
Flood warnings continue
Hackensack’s Office of Emergency Management extended existing flood warnings until 2 a.m. Friday, according to an alert the office issued on Thursday afternoon.
Just before the warning was released, the stage of the Saddle River measured 10.5 feet near Lodi, which is more than 4 feet above its flood stage, the office said.
But over the previous 24 hours, the river had already risen as high as 12.6 feet.
Levels are expected to drop below the flood stage Thursday evening and continue to recede into Sunday morning.
Fairfield’s mayor, Jim Gasparini, warned residents that despite the clear skies on Thursday, river levels continued to rise and to remain vigilant for flooding in their homes and avoid driving, if possible.
If your basement floods, Gasparini said not to attempt to pump out the water until flooding recedes from around your home.
Is Newark Airport open?
Terminals A and C are open but Terminal B was closed Thursday morning after its lower level flooded during last night’s storm. However, Terminal B reopened Thursday afternoon. More details here.
Rainfall totals in North Jersey
Rain battered the area through Wednesday night and into early Thursday morning, with some towns receiving up to 7 inches, more than the 3 to 6 inches that was forecasted.
As of 3 p.m. Thursday here are some of the area’s rain totals by town, provided by Bob Ziff of the North Jersey Weather Observers:
- Bergenfield: 5.31 inches
- Elizabeth: 6.67 inches
- High Point: 4.86 inches
- Hillsdale: 5.84 inches
- Lyndhurst: 7.64 inches
- New Brunswick: 6.99 inches
- New Providence: 7.20 inches
- Paramus: 7.18 inches
- Parsippany: 5.55 inches
- Ramsey: 5.66 inches
- Somerset 7.62 inches
- Stewartsville: 7.60 inches
- Vernon: 4.51 inches
- Wantage: 4.79 inches
- West Milford: 4.81-8.20 inches depending on elevation.
Power outages in NJ
More than 26,797 customers in North Jersey remained without power Thursday afternoon.
Power outages:Tens of thousands still without power in North Jersey morning after remnants of Ida
Highways flooded
Just before midnight, there was so much flooding on the highways in North Jersey that the state’s traffic advisory website, 511NJ.org, was barely visible behind the sea of storm-related alerts.
Garden State Parkway closed
The Garden State Parkway in East Orange remained closed and flooded in both directions as of about 10 a.m. at exit 147 per the NJ Department of Transportation.
Newark Airport flights suspended
At 10:28 p.m., Newark Airport tweeted: “We’re experiencing severe flooding due to tonight’s storm. All flight activity is currently suspended & travelers are strongly advised to contact their airline for the latest flight & service resumption information. Passengers are being diverted from ground-level flooded areas.”
Limited flight schedules resumed shortly before midnight but the roadways in and out of the airport remained treacherous.
Videos on social media showed heavy flooding on the ground floor at Newark Liberty International Airport. The NWS reports the airport was hit with 3.24 inches of rain between 8 and 9 p.m.
When visiting Newark Avenue, Bloomfield mayor Michael Venezia said there were at least 50 cars abandoned and in the middle of the street after people couldn’t drive anymore and that there are a “considerable amount” of cars abandoned throughout town.
What’s happening on Thursday in North Jersey
Across North Jersey, towns are attempting to work through damage caused by Ida.
Urma Avenue in Clifton, which is adjacent to section of Garden State Parkway, frequently floods during torrential rains. Wednesday night was no different.
“My neighbors had two to three feet of water,” Clifton City Councilman Bill Gibson said.
Garfield lost a few police vehicles and the department of public works was flooded, said Mayor Richard Rigoglioso.
In North Arlington, the DPW building on Disposal Road took on 4 feet of water, said Borough Administrator Stephen Lo Iacano. He said the building received serious damage including a potential loss of desks and equipment. The water is drained but the building is filled with mud. Lo Iacano also said the firehouse on Legion Place flooded.
Holy Name Medical Center in Teaneck had some flooding near the emergency room and fallen trees led to a few power outages but as of 10 a.m. the Department of Public Works had a storm crew helping with cleanup efforts throughout town.
Millburn Township Administrator Alex McDonald said the town experienced “some devastating flooding” Wednesday night.
The downtown was completely flooded, severely damaging businesses in the Millburn Avenue and Essex Street areas. The flooding was reminiscent of Hurricane Irene in 2011 and Hurricane Floyd in 1999, both of which caused major damage to the downtown area.
Bloomfield Mayor Michael Venezia said between 70 to 70% of the homes in Bloomfield were flooded during the estimated 10 inches of rain the township got from Ida.
The mayor said the worst-hit areas were Newark and Glenwood avenues, Lackawanna Place and Charles Street. Watsessing Park near Glenwood Avenue was underwater.
“It’s just beginning in Pequannock,” Flood Control Advisory Committee member Nick DeStefano said. “Basically you have Pequannock Avenue at Roosevelt shutdown and probably within the next four-to-five hours you’re going to see a lot more flooding throughout the township.”
NJ Transit rail service suspended
NJ Transit announced that all rail service, except the Atlantic City line, has been suspended due to the storm.
Service remained suspended at about 10 a.m. NJ Transit also warned of major bus delays. But Newark Light Rail service resumed at about 10 a.m.
“If you do not have to travel, please don’t,” NJ Transit tweeted.
Schools canceled for Thursday
The Clifton school district announced by email to parents late Wednesday night that there will be no classes on Thursday – the first scheduled day of school.
They became one of at least a dozen of local schools that just opened for the new year to close due to the storm.
Washed out:List of schools closings in NJ after major flooding from Tropical Storm Ida
“Due to extensive flooding in and around the city of Clifton, all schools are closed tomorrow, Thursday, Sept. 2, 2021. We are anticipating that schools will reopen on Friday, Sept. 3, 2021, and will keep you apprised of the situation.”
Passaic declares state of emergency
Passaic Mayor Hector Lora took to Facebook Live from Main Street around 9:15 p.m. to announce that he was declaring a state of emergency.
Lora said all businesses should close and people should stay off the streets. He said that city streets were flooded and cars were becoming stranded.
Essex County flooding
Nutley and Belleville put out an alert about flooding in the townships and asked motorists to stay off the roadways.
Seton Hall University announced that the campus will be closed on Thursday “due to excessive rain and flooding.” However, all essential employees should report to work, the alert stated.
A resident of Briar Hill Road in Montclair, near Eagle Rock Reservation, reports her home was hit by a downed tree, knocking out power lines.
A video posted to Facebook showed a river of water flowing down Mt. Hebron Road to Grove Street in Upper Montclair.
Tornado watch
The NWS issued a tornado watch for Bergen, Passaic, Essex and Hudson counties from 6:20 p.m. Wednesday until 1 a.m. Thursday.
“This storm has had a history of producing tornadic activity. Remain vigilant and keep an eye on further updates,” the NWS New York tweeted around 7:30 p.m.
Flooding preparation
Rain has been a recurring theme this summer. When Henri hit parts of New Jersey last week, it was the third major summer storm in just 13 months to dump huge amounts of water on a state that has struggled to deal with escalating floods.
Last month’s statewide average of 7.6 inches of rainfall made it the eighth-rainiest July since records started being kept in 1895.
Liam Quinn is a breaking news reporter for NorthJersey.com. To get breaking news directly to your inbox, sign up for our newsletter.
Staff Writer Matt Fagan contributed to this report.
Email: quinnl@northjersey.com
Twitter: @Liam_D_Quinn