New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio spoke at a press conference in New York city alongside New York Governor Kathy Hochul, giving an update on the historic flooding caused by remnants of Hurricane Ida on Wednesday.
“We saw a horrifying storm last night unlike anything we have seen before. This is a reality we have to face,” de Blasio said.
He added: “Unfortunately, the price paid by some New Yorkers was horrible and tragic. We have now lost nine New Yorkers to this storm. Nine people who were alive at this exact moment yesterday, no idea that such a horrible fate could befall them.”
The record flooding across areas of New York and New Jersey led to 24 fatalities.
The mayor spoke about the grief that families who lost loved ones are going through.
“Families are in mourning right now. We need to be there for them and for all the New Yorkers who are dealing with the results of this horrifying storm,” he said.
New York Governor Kathy Hochul told the media that she had spoken to President Joe Biden who had assured her that the White House would offer help to ravaged communities.
She described a phone call she had on Thursday with Biden who promised his full support in the wake of the “devastating storm that shocked the people of this city.”
“This is the first time we’ve had a flash flood event of this proportion,” Hochul said. “We should expect it the next time.”
She described the loss of life as “hard to imagine.”
“Even the morning after, we’re still uncovering the true depth of the loss,” she said. “We offer our love, our condolences, and our wishes for their healing. And we’ll be there to support them.”
While the state “learned a lot of lessons” from Hurricane Sandy in terms of strengthening coastal shorelines, the governor said that “where we have a vulnerability is in our streets,” alluding to where the flash flooding occurred.