Ida live updates: One person killed, disastrous flooding as Ida slams state – NorthJersey.com
Tropical Storm Ida wreaked havoc on New Jersey Wednesday into Thursday, bringing tornadoes, power outages, at least one death and drenching rains that spurred flash flooding across much of the state.
The torrential downpours — 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 flood waters 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,” Lora said.
Rescue workers were also searching for two more people, Lora said.
The storm led Gov. Phil 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.
NJ’s new normal:More storms, more rainfall, more often. Thank climate change
The National Weather Service issued flash flood warnings across North Jersey and kept extending them into the night.
Local rivers are forecast to reach flood stages sometime early Thursday morning.
Continue to check back for updates on Ida’s impact on New Jersey. Live updates are below, with the latest at the top.
One man killed, two missing in Passaic NJ
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.
Rainfall totals in North Jersey
As of 6 a.m. here are some of the area’s rain totals by town:
- Bergenfield: 5.31 inches
- High Point: 4.86 inches
- Hillsdale: 5.84 inches
- Lyndhurst: 7.64 inches
- New Brunswick: 6.99 inches
- Paramus: 7.18 inches
- Parsippany: 5.55 inches
- Ramsey: 5.66 inches
- Somerset 7.60 inches
- Stewartsville: 7.60 inches
- Vernon: 4.51 inches
- Wantage: 4.79 inches
- West Milford: 8.20 inches
Power outages in NJ
More than 32,000 customers in North Jersey remained without power early Thursday.
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 5:30 a.m. at exit 147 per the NJ Department of Transportation.
around exit 143 in Irvington remained flooded and closed northbound as of 5:30 a.m.
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.
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 8 a.m. NJ Transit also warned of major bus delays.
“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 water flowing down Mt. Hebron Road to Grove Street in Upper Montclair.
Flash flood warnings extended
The service, issued a flash flood warning for Bergen, Passaic, Essex and Hudson counties. The initial warning was until 7:45 p.m., was later extended to 9:45 p.m. and several more times during the night. The latest alert, at midnight, extended the flood warning until 3 a.m. Thursday.
Just before 6 p.m., heavy rain was seen moving north through the area. As of 7:30 p.m., 1-2 inches of rain had already fallen with an additional 1-2 inches of rainfall expected on top of what North Jersey experienced Wednesday morning.
By 8:20 p.m. the Hackensack Office of Emergency Management released an alert stating its flood warning would remain in place until Friday morning.
At 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday the Saddle River had risen to 3.1 feet in depth near Lodi, the office said.
Flooding is expected in Newark, Jersey City, Paterson, Elizabeth, Passaic, Bayonne, Wayne, Plainfield, Bloomfield, Hackensack, Linden, Orange, Bergenfield, Paramus, West Milford, Ridgewood, Summit, Lyndhurst, Millburn and Rutherford, according to the service.
Drivers are advised not to attempt to navigate flooded roads.
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