14 dead as Ida brings flash flooding to New York area

New York: The remnants of Hurricane Ida triggered spectacular flash flooding and a rare state of emergency in New York City overnight into Thursday, killing at least 14 people in what was called a historic weather event.

Streets turned into rivers while water cascaded down subway platforms, flooding tracks, as transportation authorities effectively shut down services.

"I'm 50 years old and I've never seen that much rain ever," said Metodija Mihajlov whose basement of his Manhattan restaurant was flooded with three inches of water.

"It was like living in the jungle, like tropical rain. Unbelievable. Everything is so strange this year," he told AFP.

Hundreds of flights were cancelled at LaGuardia and JFK airports, as well as at Newark, where video showed a terminal inundated by

rainwater.

Flooding closed major roads across multiple boroughs including Manhattan, The Bronx and Queens, with emergency services rescuing hundreds of people.