Newark airport: Many flights canceled, delayed after Ida remnants cause major flooding

Heavy rainfall from remnants of Ida leaves Newark airport flooded

Flights were temporarily suspended at Newark Liberty International Airport after the remnants of Hurricane Ida brought severe flooding to the area on Sept. 1, 2021. Credit - Mikey Brasi via Storyful

NEWARK, N.J. - Heavy rain in the Northeast caused by remnants of Hurricane Ida caused severe flooding across parts of New Jersey late Wednesday, prompting Newark Liberty International Airport to briefly suspend all flights after portions of the airport flooded.

By Thursday morning, some flights had resumed at the airport but several had either been canceled or delayed.

Videos posted to social media showed ground-level areas of the airport flooded. Newark’s baggage area was also inundated with water while workers remained on top of airport equipment.

Another video posted to Twitter showed people in Newark crossing a flooded street with a canoe.

All flights were temporarily suspended at Newark’s airport late Wednesday and all parking lots were closed due to the severe flooding. All train service to the airport also was suspended.

By Thursday morning, flight operations had resumed but with many delays and cancellations.

Approximately 3.24 inches of rain was recorded between just 8 p.m. and 9 p.m. at Newark Liberty International Airport, the National Weather Service said. Overall, more than 8 inches of rain was reported in Newark on Wednesday.

Gov. Phil Murphy also declared a state of emergency in all of New Jersey’s 21 counties, urging people to stay off the flooded roads.

Brooklyn streets submerged as New York hit by severe floods

Streets in New York’s Brooklyn borough resembled waterways on Sept. 1, 2021, as remnants of Hurricane Ida brought severe flooding to the area. Credit - John Miller via Storyful

The severe flooding led to at least 26 deaths from New York to Pennsylvania.

At least 12 people died in New York City, police said, one of them in a car and eight in flooded basement apartments that often serve as relatively affordable homes in one of the nation’s most expensive housing markets. Officials said at least eight died in New Jersey and three in Pennsylvania's suburban Montgomery County; one was killed by a falling tree, one drowned in a car and another in a home. An on-duty state trooper in Connecticut was swept away in his cruiser and later taken to a hospital, state police and local authorities said.

At least two tornadoes were reported in the mid-Atlantic where homes were now rubble in Mullica Hill, New Jersey, just outside of Philadelphia. Police in Connecticut were investigating a report of a person missing due to the flooding in Woodbury.

Videos show tornado damage through New Jersey

Tropical Rainstorm Ida caused damage across New Jersey as it raced north through the state, bringing tornadoes, flooding, and heavy rain. Some areas are seeing up to 8 inches of rain from the former hurricane.

Meanwhile, in New York City, residents posted videos on Twitter of floodwaters pouring into the city’s underground subway system. New York transit authorities said multiple trains were disrupted due to "excessive water" entering the stations.

This story was reported from Los Angeles and Cincinnati. The Associated Press contributed.

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