WORLD / AMERICAS
Biden to assess Ida damage in NY, New Jersey
Published: Sep 05, 2021 06:52 PM
Waterlogged vehicles are seen in the Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York, the United States, Sept. 3, 2021.(Photo: Xinhua)

Waterlogged vehicles are seen in the Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York, the United States, Sept. 3, 2021.(Photo: Xinhua)


US President Joe Biden will travel to New York and New Jersey next week to get a firsthand look at the damage caused by the remnants of Hurricane Ida, the White House said on Saturday.

The final blast of the storm that first hit the US Gulf Coast last weekend killed at least 47 people in northeastern states as it turned streets into raging rivers and flooded homes and the New York subway.

Biden will tour Manville, New Jersey and the New York borough of Queens on Tuesday.

On Friday, the president toured Louisiana to see the catastrophic damage wrought by Ida when it struck the region as a powerful Category 4 hurricane.

He called for Americans to come together as the world endures more and more extreme weather events as a result of global warming.

Biden also plugged his huge investment plans, in particular to repair or upgrade the crumbling US infrastructure,which have yet to be approved by Congress.

Flash flooding caused by the remnants of Hurricane Ida killed at least 44 people in the New York area overnight into Thursday, including several who perished in basements during the "historic" weather event officials blamed on climate change.

Record rainfall has turned streets into rivers and shut down subway services as water cascaded down platforms onto tracks.

AFP