At least 14 individuals lost their lives due to rising floodwaters in basements. A tornado in southern New Jersey destroyed a row of houses. There are reports of drivers being stuck since Wednesday evening, with over 200,000 residences in New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania still lacking electricity. States of emergency have been announced throughout the area. The heavy rain on Wednesday, totaling over six inches in a short period, transformed streets and subway stations into waterways, leading to emergency responders using boats to rescue individuals stranded on car roofs and in flooded residences. Numerous individuals on trains and subways had to be evacuated. The rain that fell recently broke previous records set by Tropical Storm Henri just 11 days earlier. This highlights the warnings from climate scientists that such storms are becoming more common due to a warmer planet, where increased heat leads to more water in the air and allows storms to strengthen quickly and become larger. While the skies are clearing, many of the city's subway lines are still not fully operational, as well as commuter rail services in the region. Although airports are open, numerous flights have been cancelled. Rescue efforts are ongoing, and some rivers in New Jersey and Pennsylvania are still experiencing rising water levels. In New York City, individuals who lost their lives due to the storm ranged in age from a 2-year-old boy to an 86-year-old woman, according to the police. In Queens, some individuals tragically drowned in basement apartments due to a network of makeshift and often illegally converted living spaces. City officials in Elizabeth, New Jersey reported five deaths in an apartment complex, while another death occurred in Passaic, New Jersey where the Passaic River overflowed. A record-breaking 3.15 inches of rain fell in Central Park in just one hour on Wednesday, surpassing the previous record of 1.94 inches. The National Weather Service, struggling to convey the severity of the situation, issued a flash flood emergency in New York City for the first time. In Bergen County, the most populous county in New Jersey, County Executive James Tedesco, a former firefighter, stated on Thursday that the area was experiencing nearly complete devastation, one of the worst he had ever seen. The remnants of Ida continued to move across parts of southern New England, with the system located near eastern Long Island, New York, moving northeast at 28 mph toward Cape Cod, Massachusetts, with maximum sustained winds of 28 mph as of 5 a.m. Thursday. Following heavy rain overnight, more rain was expected in parts of Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island, where flash flood warnings were issued. The weather service warned of the potential for rare high-impact flooding in southern New England. The rain had already led to flash flooding in various areas such as small creeks, urban areas, highways, streets, and underpasses as well as other low-lying areas, according to the weather service. Although the rain was starting to move away, there were still numerous flooded roads in southern New England. The Weather Service in Boston mentioned that it will take some time for the water to go down in these areas. They advised people not to try to cross any flooded roads and to turn around instead. Rhode Island has experienced two tropical storms, Henri and Elsa, making landfall during this hurricane season. Text = The New York Times Company owns the copyright for the year 2021.