Death toll from flooding after remnants of Hurricane Ida rises to 63 in the United States
At least 63 people have died and many others are unaccounted for after the remnants of Hurricane Ida caused torrential rain, devastating floods, and tornadoes in the East Coast of the United States.
The remnants of the storm produced a destructive tornado outbreak and catastrophic flash flooding the Northeastern United States.
Flooding in New York City prompted the shutdown of much of the transportation system.
So far, 63 total deaths have been confirmed in relation to Ida: 23 in New Jersey, 16 in New York, 12 in Louisiana, 5 in Pennsylvania, 2 in Mississippi, 2 in Alabama, 1 in Maryland, 1 in Virginia, and 1 in Connecticut.
Ida knocked down palm trees and destroyed many homes in Cuba during its brief passage over the country. Throughout its path of destruction in Louisiana, more than a million people had no power in total. Widespread heavy infrastructural damage occurred throughout the southeastern portion of the state, as well as extremely heavy flooding in coastal areas. New Orleans' levees survived, though power damage was extensive throughout the whole city.
There also were high amounts of plant destruction in the state. The storm has caused at least $50 billion (2021 USD) in damages, of which $15 billion was in insured losses in Louisiana, making Ida the sixth-costliest tropical cyclone on record.
Ida was the second-most damaging hurricane to strike the U.S. state of Louisiana on record, only behind Hurricane Katrina, and is tied for the strongest landfall in the state by maximum winds with Hurricane Laura and the 1856 Last Island hurricane.
Ida is also the sixth costliest hurricane on record, surpassing Ike of 2008. (ILKHA)