(DALLAS) — Marsha Jones, a Texas native, says she has received many desperate calls from women in the state struggling to access abortions and reproductive care.
They are often young, alone and afraid, she said.
“We’re talking about young women who live in some of the most dire communities,” Jones told ABC News, recounting stories of women who came to her for help, including a pregnant teenager whose mother was addicted to drugs and a young woman who was in an abusive relationship.
Jones is the CEO of the Afiya Center in Dallas — an organization that advocates for Black women and girls. The center provides practical assistance to women seeking abortions by providing funding for sonograms, transportation, childcare, hotels, meals and other services.
Now, under a new Texas law, Jones and others who assist women in getting access to abortions say they have become targets themselves.
The law will make most abortions illegal after six weeks of pregnancy and will encourage anyone to sue a person they believe is providing an abortion or assisting someone in getting an abortion after six weeks, which is before many women learn that they are pregnant.
“It’s almost like they have put a bounty on those of us — people like us — and others, and even our donors, who want to make sure that people have access to reproductive health care and [that] includes abortion,” Jones said. “So now you have just people on the street, who can now sue us, attack us in all these kinds of ways, and with that, it almost ties our hands, because how much can we do if we are being sued every day?”
S.B. 8, which was signed by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, went into effect on Wednesday and the U.S. Supreme Court formally rejected a request by Texas abortion providers to block it while legal challenges continue.
But despite S.B. 8, Jones said she and her team will not stop working to help women.
“We’re going to continue working at the Afiya Center,” Jones said, adding that through educational programs, they hope to help young women “understand their reproductive system” so they can become aware of pregnancies before they reach six weeks.
According to an August study by The Guttmacher Institute, a reproductive rights organization, S.B. 8 will lead to shutting down a large swath of abortion clinics across the state and will increase the average one-way driving distance to an abortion clinic by twenty-fold — from 12 miles to 248 miles.
This disproportionately impacts low-income women and women of color, who do not have the financial means to travel.
Marcela Howell, who leads a coalition of eight organizations led by Black women that advocate for reproductive justice across the country, including the Afiya Center, told ABC News that S.B. 8 is the latest chapter in a history of legislation that has disproportionately hurt women of color
“Roe v. Wade promised the right to abortion, but for Black women who have to rely on Medicaid or who don’t have insurance coverage at all, and have to find money to get abortion services, that right has never been exercised, it’s always had barriers to it,” Howell said.
Howell, who leads In Our Own Voice: National Black Women’s Reproductive Justice Agenda, said that a disproportionate number of Black women live in low-income households and rely on Medicaid, which cannot be used for abortion access under the Hyde Amendment.
Jones said that even when low income women in Texas are able to get financial aid through abortion funds to cover the cost of the procedure, many still don’t have access to care because they cannot afford related travel costs, childcare or other medical costs like sonograms.
And these barriers, according to Jones, take time to resolve and are part of the reason many women can’t get an abortion before six weeks gestation — the restriction under S.B. 8.
“We are forcing people into generational poverty, we are forcing women to stay inside of homes, houses, spaces where their lives are on the line,” Jones said.
“When we make this a political or religious right argument, we are allowing a very small segment of the community, of the country to make decisions for the majority that they have no business making, because they do not know these people’s lived experiences,” she added.
(NEW YORK) — Authorities said Thursday that at least 12 people have died in New York City as the remnants of Hurricane Ida caused an unexpected deluge of devastating floodwater to inundate the city.
Videos and images posted to social media amid the storm captured scenes of chaos and despair as roads turned to waterways and subway stations flooded due to the record-shattering rainfall. Authorities said hundreds of people were rescued from flooded cars and transit stations.
“The price paid by some New Yorkers is horrible and tragic,” New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said during a Thursday news conference, lamenting how the New Yorkers who died in the storm “were alive at this exact moment yesterday, no idea that such a horrible fate could befall them.”
The borough of Queens, home to many lower- and middle-class New Yorkers and one of the most racially diverse areas in the nation, bore the brunt of storm-related deaths in the city.
Here is what we know about the New York City flooding victims so far.
The identities of the victims have yet to be released pending family notifications, police have said.
Two people died after the floodwaters caused a partial building collapse in Queens, according to the New York Police Department. Officers responded to a 911 call of a flooding condition in the Jamaica neighborhood of the borough at approximately 11:15 p.m. local time Wednesday, where they said they found a 43-year-old woman and a 22-year-old man unconscious and unresponsive within a residence. The woman was taken to Queens General Hospital where she was pronounced dead, and the man was pronounced deceased at the scene.
Three people — including a toddler — were also found dead in the Flushing neighborhood of Queens when police officers responded to a 911 call of a flooding condition at approximately 10 p.m. local time. A 50-year-old man, 48-year-old woman and a 2-year-old boy were found unconscious and unresponsive within the residence, and pronounced dead at the scene, according to the NYPD.
A 48-year-old woman was also found unconscious and unresponsive at her home near the Corona neighborhood of Queens, police said. She was taken by responders to Forest Hills Hospital late Wednesday, where she was pronounced dead.
Meanwhile in Brooklyn, a 66-year-old man was found unconscious and unresponsive on Wednesday evening at a residence after police responded to a 911 call reporting flooding. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
On Thursday, firefighters on discovered three more bodies after a landlord — also in Flushing — called 911 to report that there were three bodies submerged in a flooded basement, according to the Fire Department New York. Further details about the victims was not immediately available.
President Joe Biden gave his “heartfelt thanks” to first responders in the New York City region during remarks on Thursday, noting the record hourly rainfall total in the city’s famous Central Park.
“We saw more than 3 inches of rain per hour fall in Central Park,” the president said. “The United States National Weather Service issued a flood emergency in Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx, Staten Island and parts of Long Island last night.”
“This is the first time that such a warning has ever been issued for the city,” Biden said. “People were trapped in the subways.”
Much of the country is still reeling from Ida’s fury on Thursday. All told, there have been at least 40 deaths across eight states related to the storm.
ABC News’ Alex Faul and Ahmad Hemingway contributed to this report.
(WASHINGTON) — A comprehensive review of police officer bodycam footage from the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol found roughly 1,000 instances of assault against members of law enforcement who were trying to protect the building, according to a series of new legal filings by the Justice Department.
“Based on a review of the body-worn camera footage conducted by our Office, the footage displays approximately 1,000 events that may be characterized as assaults on federal officers,” prosecutors from the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Washington, D.C., wrote in several discovery filings for Capitol rioter cases this week.
The department says it has transferred more than 2,900 body camera videos “totaling over 2,300 hours (nearly 100 days)” into a database that they are working to make available to defense attorneys for the nearly 600 alleged rioters charged in connection with the attack.
The disclosure comes as former President Donald Trump and many of his allies on the far-right continue to spread false narratives downplaying the dangerousness of the mob that day, with some casting currently detained Jan. 6 defendants as political prisoners.
The chief of the Capitol Police said in a statement Wednesday that they are closely monitoring activity leading up to the “Justice for J6” protests that supporters of the Jan. 6 attack are planning to hold Sept. 18 in Washington.
Police said that they are “planning accordingly.”
More than 170 individuals already face charges for assaulting or impeding officers on Jan. 6, and the FBI has said it is still seeking tips on more than 200 still-unidentified suspects believed to have committed violence at the Capitol.
(WASHINGTON) — President Joe Biden says he is launching a “whole-of-government effort” in response to the Supreme Court allowing the nation’s most restrictive abortion law to take effect in Texas, directing his Gender Policy Council and the White House legal team to tap federal agencies to ensure women maintain their constitutional right to an abortion.
“While the Chief Justice was clear to stress that the action by the Supreme Court is not a final ruling on the future of Roe, the impact of last night’s decision will be immediate and requires an immediate response,” Biden said in a statement on Thursday.
“Hence, I am directing that Council and the Office of the White House Counsel to launch a whole-of-government effort to respond to this decision, looking specifically to the Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of Justice to see what steps the Federal Government can take to ensure that women in Texas have access to safe and legal abortions as protected by Roe, and what legal tools we have to insulate women and providers from the impact of Texas’ bizarre scheme of outsourced enforcement to private parties,” the statement said.
Attorney General Merrick Garland also said in a statement on Thursday that the Justice Department is “deeply concerned” about the Texas law, known as SB 8, and is “evaluating all options to protect the constitutional rights of women, including access to an abortion.”
The Supreme Court in a 5-4 vote Wednesday night formally rejected a request by Texas abortion providers to block the state’s severe new law restricting the procedure while legal challenges continue. Most abortions in Texas are now illegal after six weeks of pregnancy, and private citizens — who do not have to be Texas residents — are encouraged to sue a person they believe is providing an abortion outside the new parameters or assisting a woman in getting one, whether they are a rape counselor or an Uber driver taking a woman to a clinic.
Biden said the SCOTUS decision “unleashes constitutional chaos and empowers self-anointed enforcers to have devastating impacts” and that the law will now “significantly impair women’s access to the health care they need, particularly for communities of color and individuals with low incomes.”
“This law is so extreme it does not even allow for exceptions in the case of rape or incest. And it not only empowers complete strangers to inject themselves into the most private of decisions made by a woman—it actually incentivizes them to do so with the prospect of $10,000 if they win their case,” Biden’s statement said. “For the majority to do this without a hearing, without the benefit of an opinion from a court below, and without due consideration of the issues, insults the rule of law and the rights of all Americans to seek redress from our courts.”
White House press secretary Jen Psaki said at a briefing on Wednesday that the president would continue to call for the “codification of Roe” through Congress, but Biden’s statement did not make mention of that call.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi echoed Biden’s anger on Thursday, calling the court’s decision “cowardly” and vowing to bring up the Women’s Health Protection Act, which would codify Roe v. Wade, to a vote.
“The Supreme Court’s cowardly, dark-of-night decision to uphold a flagrantly unconstitutional assault on women’s rights and health is staggering,” she said in a statement. “Upon our return, the House will bring up Congresswoman Judy Chu’s Women’s Health Protection Act to enshrine into law reproductive health care for all women across America.”
The House is scheduled to return from recess on Sept. 20., but that vote will be symbolic given that Democrats don’t have 60 votes to pass the bill in the Senate or 51 votes to change Senate rules to allow its passage over GOP opposition.
The Supreme Court’s decision has prompted progressive Democrats to renew their calls for changes to the Senate’s filibuster rules — and legislation that would expand the number of seats on the Supreme Court.
“We need to restore balance to the court after Donald Trump and Senator Mitch McConnell blatantly stole the seats of Justice Scalise and Justice Ginsburg,” Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass., said in a statement.
Advocates are also concerned about other states implementing laws similar to the one in Texas.
Nancy Northrop, president and CEO of the Center for Reproductive Rights, told CNN on Wednesday she expects the Supreme Court decision will embolden states “to completely ignore Roe V. Wade.”
While the majority of state legislatures are not currently in session, about 70 bills attempting to ban all or most abortions were introduced this year, according to the Guttmacher Institute, which tracks state-level sexual and reproductive health bills. Eight of those bills were enacted, including two in Texas (one of which was SB 8), as well as six others in Arkansas, Idaho, Oklahoma and South Carolina.
Seven other laws either haven’t gone into effect yet, including several that would ban abortions only if the Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade, or have been temporarily blocked by the courts.
Florida, for example, is not in session, but at least one state representative, congressional candidate Anthony Sabatini, has promised to introduce the “exact same” bill as Texas’ in the Sunshine State.
He told ABC News on Thursday the bill is being drafted. Florida Senate President Wilton Simpson told WFLA News that the Florida legislature would take up a bill similar to the Texas law in the next session.
More than six in 10 Americans say they agree with the Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decisions establishing a woman’s right to an abortion, according to a national Quinnipiac poll from May, a view that has remained consistent in the nearly two decades Quinnipiac has polled on this issue, it said. In 2003, Americans agreed with the Roe decision 62-35%.
Amy Hagstrom Miller, CEO of Whole Women’s Health which operates four clinics in Texas, told ABC News her team is not giving up the fight to ensure women in Texas have access to reproductive health care.
“At this moment we are in an unprecedented and complicated situation,” she said, “but we are sure of one thing — our vales, our commitment and what we stand for has not changed.”
ABC News’ Devin Dwyer, Benjamin Siegel, Alex Mallin, Quinn Scanlan and Oren Oppenheim contributed to this report.
(NEW YORK) — So far in the Northeast, at least 21 deaths have been attributed to the storm.
A flash flood emergency was declared for the first time in New York City as subway stations were turned into waterfalls and Midtown streets became rivers. New York City also declared a state of emergency.
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said Thursday morning the death toll in the Big Apple was nine. That number rose to 12 by afternoon after firefighters in Queens discovered three more bodies.
“We saw a horrifying storm last night. Unlike anything we’ve seen before,” De Blasio said. “Unfortunately the price paid by some New Yorkers, was horrible and tragic.”
President Joe Biden spoke on Ida’s damage in the Northeast Thursday afternoon, citing that New York recorded more rain Wednesday “than it usually sees the entire month of September.”
“People were trapped in the subways. But the heroic men and women of the New York Fire Department rescued all of them. They were trapped,” Biden said.
He said he’s made it clear to East Coast governors that the Federal Emergency Management Agency is “on the ground” and ready to provide assistance.
Gov. Kathy Hochul said during a Thursday morning briefing that the “Metro-North, LIRR and the New York City subway system are not fully functioning” and her focus will be on flood prevention.
“Before we worried about coastal areas, now it’s about what’s happening in the streets, the drainage systems that need to be enhanced,” Hochul said. “Because of climate change, unfortunately, this is something we’re going to have to deal with with great regularity.”
She said more than 100 people were rescued in Rockland and Westchester county alone.
NYPD Commissioner Dermot Shea said 8 of the 9 deaths took place in residential homes in basements. A sentiment echoed by New York officials in the briefing was improving flooding resilience in the city.
Four residents of the Oakwood Plaza apartment complex in Elizabeth, New Jersey, were found dead in the aftermath of the flooding, Mayor Chris Bollwage said in a press conference Thursday morning.
The victims included a 72-year-old wife, a 71-year-old husband, a 38-year-old son and a 33-year-old female who was their neighbor, officials said.
Rescuers have been checking the rent roll and going door-to-door though the entire complex to make sure no other bodies are found, a spokesperson for the Mayor told ABC News. The complex is across from the Elizabeth Fire Department headquarters, which was inundated with 8 feet of water.
At least one person also died due to the flooding in Passaic, New Jersey, Mayor Hector Carlos Lora confirmed on Facebook Thursday morning.
Early Thursday in Queens, the New York Police Department said that after responding to a flooding condition at a partially collapsed building, they found two people — a 43-year-old female and a 22-year-old male — unconscious and unresponsive inside. The man was pronounced dead at the scene and the woman was taken to the local hospital, where she later died. “The investigation is ongoing and the Medical Examiner will determine the cause of death. The identification of the deceased is pending family notification,” they said.
At a second flooded location in Queens, the NYPD said they found a 50-year-old male, a 48-year-old female and a 2-year-old male, unconscious and unresponsive, within the residence. They were all pronounced dead at the scene.
Also in Queens, police responded to a 911 call of a flooding condition and discovered a 48-year-old female, unconscious and unresponsive, within the residence. “The aided female was removed by EMS to Forest Hills Hospital where she was pronounced deceased,” they said. An 86-year-old woman also died in her Queens apartment due to flooding, police said.
After responding to a similar flooding incident in Brooklyn, the NYPD said officers found “a 66-year-old male, unresponsive and unconscious, within the residence.” He was pronounced dead at the scene.
On Thursday afternoon, the landlord at an apartment in Flushing, Queens, called 911 to say there were three bodies submerged in a flooded basement, according to the FDNY.
“FDNY members rescued hundreds of people citywide during the storm, removing occupants from trapped vehicles on flooded roadways and removing New Yorkers from subway stations,” department spokesman Frank Dwyer told ABC News.
A 19-year-old male was found dead due to flooding at the Rockville Apartments in Montgomery County, Maryland, police said in a news release. Officials received multiple calls for flooding at the home at 3:50 a.m. and 150 residents were displaced by flood waters.
In Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, three storm-related fatalities were reported, Commissioner Dr. Val Arkoosh said in a press briefing Thursday morning.
One of those was an unnamed woman who died when a tree fell onto a home in Upper Dublin Township, Pennsylvania, local ABC Philadelphia affiliate WPVI reported.
The inundating rainfall Wednesday evening broke records. Central Park reported a record of 3.15 inches of rain in one hour from 8:51 p.m. to 9:51 p.m., the National Weather Service reported.
New York issued a citywide travel ban just before 1 a.m. ET Thursday until 5 a.m.
“All non-emergency vehicles must be off NYC streets and highways,” the city said.
Due to severe weather, there is a travel ban in effect beginning now until 5:00 AM on 9/2. All non-emergency vehicles must be off NYC streets and highways.
Every subway line in the city was suspended, according to the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, due to so many flooded stations. New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio told ABC station WABC that people were being evacuated from subway cars stuck underground.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul also declared a state of emergency to “help New Yorkers.”
“Earlier tonight I declared a State of Emergency in New York State within the counties of Bronx, Dutchess, Kings, Nassau, New York, Orange, Putnam, Queens, Richmond, Rockland, Suffolk, Sullivan, Ulster, and Westchester in response to major flooding due to Tropical Depression Ida,” she said in a statement, also encouraging New Yorkers to “please pay attention to local weather reports, stay off the roads and avoid all unnecessary travel during this time.”
I am declaring a state of emergency to help New Yorkers affected by tonight’s storm.
Please stay off the roads and avoid all unnecessary travel.
In Passaic, New Jersey, Mayor Lora said Thursday on the confirmed fatality that the person was trapped inside their car, which was “overtaken by water.”
The mayor — who declared a state of emergency in the city — also said that two other residents are reported to have been swept away by the water. The search continues for them.
“We continue to receive reports of incidents that have occurred throughout the city. Vehicles can be repaired, property can be replaced, but loss of life we cannot bring that back,” Lora said.
At the same time, he said, 60 residents are receiving temporary shelter in City Hall.
“We have too many areas where the flooding has gotten so bad that cars are stuck and we have bodies underwater,” Lora said in a video posted to Facebook. “We are now retrieving bodies.”
In New Jersey, Gov. Phil Murphy quickly declared an emergency with 3 to 5 inches of rain falling per hour in some locations across the tristate area.
“We will use every resource at our disposal to ensure the safety of New Jerseyans,” Murphy tweeted. “Stay off the roads, stay home, and stay safe.”
He was not specific about how many people may have been killed or injured in the floods.
At Newark Liberty Airport in New Jersey, a baggage area was flooded and flights were grounded.
“We’re experiencing severe flooding due to tonight’s storm,” the airport’s account tweeted. “All flight activity is currently suspended & travelers are strongly advised to contact their airline for the latest flight & service resumption information. Passengers are being diverted from ground-level flooded areas.”
The U.S. Open, taking place in Queens, New York, had to pause one tennis match as the court was flooded — despite there being a roof over the court — due to rain coming in the side of the stadium.
Several homes were damaged in Mullica Hill, New Jersey, across from Philadelphia, after warnings went out about possible tornadoes.
“Gloucester County has experienced devastating storm damage,” the county said in a statement. “It is likely that multiple tornadoes have touched down within our communities. Our Emergency Operations Center is fully activated with multiple local, county, state, and regional partners assessing damages and deploying resources.”
In Gloucester County, 20-25 homes were “completely devastated,” and roughly 100 more sustained some damage, when a tornado ripped through Harrison Township, Wednesday, the mayor of the Harrison Township told ABC News.
Mayor Lou Manzo said the community is “blessed” that no one died and only one person had to go to the hospital, but the damage to property across the township is “extensive,” he said.
Fire and emergency personnel made “a few rescues” of people who became trapped after sheltering in their basement, according to the mayor.
There was also a “confirmed large and extremely dangerous tornado” located near Woodbury Heights, New Jersey, at about 6:30 p.m. and another “confirmed large and destructive tornado” over Beverly, near Trenton, at 7 p.m., according to the National Weather Service.
Early Thursday there were 101,652 customers without power in Pennsylvania, 73,348 in New Jersey, 51,931 in New York and 34,449 in Connecticut, according to poweroutage.us.
The Schuylkill River in Philadelphia is rising into major flood stage early Thursday morning and is forecast to rise a few additional feet before cresting around 9 a.m.. The National Weather Service has increased their predicted water level for the river to 17.2 feet, which would be greater than the highest recorded total of 17 feet. The rain has stopped, but flood risk continues, the Philadelphia Office of Emergency Management wrote on Twitter.
ABC News’ Will Gretsky and Melissa Griffin contributed to this report.
(NEW YORK) — Harrowing stories of survival and rescues are surfacing after a rain-drenched night of deadly storms in the northeastern United States.
The remnants of Hurricane Ida brought historic floods and damaging tornadoes across the region on Wednesday and caused 22 fatalities in areas where the storm hit. Although the death toll is expected to rise as the damage is surveyed, scores of people were also saved or spared.
The New York City Fire Department “rescued hundreds of people citywide during the storm,” removing them from trapped cars and flooded subway stations, FDNY spokesman Frank Dwyer told ABC News.
One FDNY water rescue crew saved a family of six who became trapped in their Brooklyn home as floodwaters rose in the basement overnight. The husband and wife, who have four young children, spoke to New York City ABC station WABC about the ordeal.
“When the water came through our walls, it trapped me,” the husband recalled. “So my wife is at the bottom of the stairs, trying to scream to me to get out, and I didn’t know what to do. I was trapped.”
“Thankfully, our fire department was amazing and they came and they rescued us,” the wife added, fighting back tears. “It was so scary.”
Footage from Mullica Hill, New Jersey, showed where a tornado ripped through the area, obliterating homes and scattering debris across green lawns.
Speaking to Philadelphia ABC station WPVI, Troy Bonnenberg said he and his children took cover in the basement of their house in Mullica Hill on Wednesday night. When they emerged unharmed minutes later, the back half of their home was gone and their belongings were scattered throughout the neighborhood.
But Bonnenberg’s neighbor across the street bore the brunt of the storm. The house was destroyed and aluminium sliding, roofing, furniture and children’s toys were all piled atop the family’s car, according to WPVI.
In Passaic City, New Jersey, Mayor Hector Lora was on scene with local authorities and rescue crews amid the pouring rain as he urged residents to stay indoors.
“We have too many areas where the flooding has gotten so bad, the cars are stuck and we have bodies under water,” Lora said in a Facebook Live video on Wednesday night. “We are now retrieving bodies.”
The power of the storms were also felt in Pennsylvania’s Montgomery County. Mike Zajack of Maple Glen, a small suburb of Philadelphia, recalled how his house shook as the rain beat down outside.
“I couldn’t even hear myself think,” Zajac told WPVI. “I see branches start to get carried by the wind past my house, the chair on our front porch got flipped and it was nuts.”
ABC News’ Alexandra Faul and Aaron Katerksy contributed to this report.
(NEW YORK) — Harrowing stories of survival and rescues are surfacing after a rain-drenched night of deadly storms in the northeastern United States.
The remnants of Hurricane Ida brought historic floods and damaging tornadoes across the region on Wednesday and caused 22 fatalities in areas where the storm hit. Although the death toll is expected to rise as the damage is surveyed, scores of people were also saved or spared.
The New York City Fire Department “rescued hundreds of people citywide during the storm,” removing them from trapped cars and flooded subway stations, FDNY spokesman Frank Dwyer told ABC News.
One FDNY water rescue crew saved a family of six who became trapped in their Brooklyn home as floodwaters rose in the basement overnight. The husband and wife, who have four young children, spoke to New York City ABC station WABC about the ordeal.
“When the water came through our walls, it trapped me,” the husband recalled. “So my wife is at the bottom of the stairs, trying to scream to me to get out, and I didn’t know what to do. I was trapped.”
“Thankfully, our fire department was amazing and they came and they rescued us,” the wife added, fighting back tears. “It was so scary.”
Footage from Mullica Hill, New Jersey, showed where a tornado ripped through the area, obliterating homes and scattering debris across green lawns.
Speaking to Philadelphia ABC station WPVI, Troy Bonnenberg said he and his children took cover in the basement of their house in Mullica Hill on Wednesday night. When they emerged unharmed minutes later, the back half of their home was gone and their belongings were scattered throughout the neighborhood.
But Bonnenberg’s neighbor across the street bore the brunt of the storm. The house was destroyed and aluminium sliding, roofing, furniture and children’s toys were all piled atop the family’s car, according to WPVI.
In Passaic City, New Jersey, Mayor Hector Lora was on scene with local authorities and rescue crews amid the pouring rain as he urged residents to stay indoors.
“We have too many areas where the flooding has gotten so bad, the cars are stuck and we have bodies under water,” Lora said in a Facebook Live video on Wednesday night. “We are now retrieving bodies.”
The power of the storms were also felt in Pennsylvania’s Montgomery County. Mike Zajack of Maple Glen, a small suburb of Philadelphia, recalled how his house shook as the rain beat down outside.
“I couldn’t even hear myself think,” Zajac told WPVI. “I see branches start to get carried by the wind past my house, the chair on our front porch got flipped and it was nuts.”
ABC News’ Alexandra Faul and Aaron Katerksy contributed to this report.
(NEW YORK) — The remnants of Hurricane Ida dumped flooding rain, spawned tornadoes across the Northeast and caused at least 22 deaths in areas where the storm landed.
A flash flood emergency was declared for the first time in New York City as subway stations were turned into waterfalls and Midtown streets became rivers. New York City also declared a state of emergency, and as of Thursday morning, at least eight people have died due to the extreme floods.
Five residents of the Oakwood Plaza apartment complex in Elizabeth, New Jersey, were found dead in the aftermath of the flooding Thursday morning, a city spokeswoman told ABC News.
Rescuers have been checking the rent roll and going door-to-door though the entire complex to make sure no other bodies are found. The complex is across from the Elizabeth Fire Department headquarters, which was inundated with 8 feet of water.
Early Thursday in Queens, the New York Police Department said that after responding to a flooding condition at a partially collapsed building, they found two people — a 43-year-old female and a 22-year-old male — unconscious and unresponsive inside. The man was pronounced dead at the scene and the woman was taken to the local hospital, where she later died. “The investigation is ongoing and the Medical Examiner will determine the cause of death. The identification of the deceased is pending family notification,” they said.
At a second flooded location in Queens, the NYPD said they found a 50-year-old male, a 48-year-old female and a 2-year-old male, unconscious and unresponsive, within the residence. They were all pronounced dead at the scene.
Also in Queens, police responded to a 911 call of a flooding condition and discovered a 48-year-old female, unconscious and unresponsive, within the residence. “The aided female was removed by EMS to Forest Hills Hospital where she was pronounced deceased,” they said. An 86-year-old woman also died in her Queens apartment due to flooding, police said.
After responding to a similar flooding incident in Brooklyn, the NYPD said officers found “a 66-year-old male, unresponsive and unconscious, within the residence.” He was pronounced dead at the scene.
“FDNY members rescued hundreds of people citywide during the storm, removing occupants from trapped vehicles on flooded roadways and removing New Yorkers from subway stations,” department spokesman Frank Dwyer told ABC News.
The inundating rainfall Wednesday evening broke records.Central Park reported a record of 3.25 inches of rain in one hour from 8:51 p.m. to 9:51 p.m., the National Weather Service reported.
New York issued a citywide travel ban just before 1 a.m. ET Thursday until 5 a.m.
“All non-emergency vehicles must be off NYC streets and highways,” the city said.
Every subway line in the city was suspended, according to the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, due to so many flooded stations. New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio told ABC station WABC that people were being evacuated from subway cars stuck underground.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul also declared a state of emergency to “help New Yorkers.”
“Earlier tonight I declared a State of Emergency in New York State within the counties of Bronx, Dutchess, Kings, Nassau, New York, Orange, Putnam, Queens, Richmond, Rockland, Suffolk, Sullivan, Ulster, and Westchester in response to major flooding due to Tropical Depression Ida,” she said in a statement, also encouraging New Yorkers to “please pay attention to local weather reports, stay off the roads and avoid all unnecessary travel during this time.”
At least one person also died due to the flooding in Passaic, New Jersey, Mayor Hector Carlos Lora confirmed on Facebook Thursday morning.
“It is … with an extremely heavy heart that I share unfortunately that we have confirmed the loss of a life within the city of Passaic and have unconfirmed reports of additional lives that may have been lost,” he said in a video, later explaining that the person was trapped inside their car, which was “overtaken by water.”
The mayor — who declared a state of emergency in the city — also said that two other residents are reported to have been swept away by the water. The search continues for them.
“We continue to receive reports of incidents that have occurred throughout the city. Vehicles can be repaired, property can be replaced, but loss of life we cannot bring that back,” Lora said.
At the same time, he said, 60 residents are receiving temporary shelter in City Hall.
“We have too many areas where the flooding has gotten so bad that cars are stuck and we have bodies underwater,” Lora said in a video posted to Facebook. “We are now retrieving bodies.”
In New Jersey, Gov. Phil Murphy quickly declared an emergency with 3 to 5 inches of rain falling per hour in some locations across the tristate area.
“We will use every resource at our disposal to ensure the safety of New Jerseyans,” Murphy tweeted. “Stay off the roads, stay home, and stay safe.”
He was not specific about how many people may have been killed or injured in the floods.
At Newark Liberty Airport in New Jersey, a baggage area was flooded and flights were grounded.
“We’re experiencing severe flooding due to tonight’s storm,” the airport’s account tweeted. “All flight activity is currently suspended & travelers are strongly advised to contact their airline for the latest flight & service resumption information. Passengers are being diverted from ground-level flooded areas.”
The U.S. Open, taking place in Queens, New York, had to pause one tennis match as the court was flooded — despite there being a roof over the court — due to rain coming in the side of the stadium.
Several homes were damaged in Mullica Hill, New Jersey, across from Philadelphia, after warnings went out about possible tornadoes.
“Gloucester County has experienced devastating storm damage,” the county said in a statement. “It is likely that multiple tornadoes have touched down within our communities. Our Emergency Operations Center is fully activated with multiple local, county, state, and regional partners assessing damages and deploying resources.”
In Gloucester County, 20-25 homes were “completely devastated,” and roughly 100 more sustained some damage, when a tornado ripped through Harrison Township, Wednesday, the mayor of the Harrison Township told ABC News.
Mayor Lou Manzo said the community is “blessed” that no one died and only one person had to go to the hospital, but the damage to property across the township is “extensive,” he said.
Fire and emergency personnel made “a few rescues” of people who became trapped after sheltering in their basement, according to the mayor.
There was also a “confirmed large and extremely dangerous tornado” located near Woodbury Heights, New Jersey, at about 6:30 p.m. and another “confirmed large and destructive tornado” over Beverly, near Trenton, at 7 p.m., according to the National Weather Service.
Early Thursday there were 101,652 customers without power in Pennsylvania, 73,348 in New Jersey, 51,931 in New York and 34,449 in Connecticut, according to poweroutage.us.
The Schuylkill River in Philadelphia is rising into major flood stage early Thursday morning and is forecast to rise a few additional feet before cresting around 9 a.m.. The National Weather Service has increased their predicted water level for the river to 17.2 feet, which would be greater than the highest recorded total of 17 feet. The rain has stopped, but flood risk continues, the Philadelphia Office of Emergency Management wrote on Twitter.
David M. Benett/Dave Benett/Getty Images for Hugo Boss UK
(LONDON) — Prince Harry gave an impassioned speech at an awards ceremony last night, pleading with governments and pharmaceutical companies to do more to vaccinate the world.
“Where you’re born should not affect your ability to survive, when the drugs and know-how exist to keep you alive and well,” the Duke of Sussex told attendees of the 24th annual GQ Men of the Year Awards.
Harry was presenting The Heroes of the Year Award to Professor Dame Sarah Gilbert, Dr. Catherine Green and the team behind the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine.
Speaking via video link, he called them “heroes of the highest order who gave us an instrument to fight this disease,” adding, “They are our nation’s pride and we are deeply indebted to their service.”
But as he hailed “their breakthrough research” he also called on others to do more.
“Until every community can access the vaccine, and until every community is connected to trustworthy information about the vaccine, then we are all at risk,” he said.
He went on, “As people sit in the room with you tonight, more than a third of the global population has received at least one dose of the vaccine. That’s more than 5 billion shots given around the world so far. It sounds like a major accomplishment, and in many ways is. But there is a huge disparity between who can and cannot access the vaccine. Less than 2% of people in the developing world have received a single dose at this point and many of their health care workers are still not even vaccinated. We cannot move forward together unless we address this imbalance as one.”
The duke also spoke about the misinformation campaigns that are adding to vaccine hesitancy: “This is a system we need to break if we are to overcome COVID-19 and the rise of new variants,” he said.
He then called on “global governments, pharmaceutical leaders, and heads of business” to do their part.
“That must include sharing vaccine science and supporting and empowering developing countries with more flexibility,” he said.
Harry and his wife Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, have previously spoken out on vaccine inequality.
Last May the pair were campaign chairs of “Vax Live: The Concert to Reunite the World,” an international COVID-19 vaccination effort organized by Global Citizen.
Speaking at that event Harry said, “None of us should be comfortable thinking that we could be fine when so many others are suffering. In reality, and especially with this pandemic, when any suffer, we all suffer,” Harry also said in his remarks. “We must look beyond ourselves with empathy and compassion for those we know, and those we don’t. We need to lift up all of humanity and make sure that no person or community is left behind.”
(LONDON) — At one minute before midnight local time on Aug. 31, the last U.S. servicemember was withdrawn from Afghanistan. It marked the end to almost two decades of war and a frantic and heavily criticized evacuation effort prompted by the Taliban rapidly recapturing the country.
The effort, marred by a deadly terror attack, brought 123,000 people, including 5,500 U.S. citizens out of the country since the middle of August in what American officials have described as one of the largest, most complex evacuations in history.
But other countries played a role in getting large numbers of people out of Afghanistan, including those in the region, Europe and Asia. Their flights evacuated tens of thousands, including some U.S. citizens, according to officials and reports, even as thousands more who were hoping to leave the country were left behind — risking a refugee crisis in the region and beyond amid deep humanitarian need.
Here is a look at some of those efforts:
The U.S. did not work alone in overseeing the mass evacuation. As of Aug. 30, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates said they had facilitated the evacuation of 40,000 and 36,500 respectively, with a massive security operation that other countries were able to tap into.
Among those evacuated were citizens and allies of NATO members, as well as other countries who had citizens in Afghanistan, with the Aug. 31 deadline looming and the Taliban indicating that any extension to U.S. troop presence in the country would be considered a “red line.” An estimated 17,000 were flown out as part of the British evacuation effort, codenamed Operation Pitting, from the beginning of the Taliban offensive to Aug. 31. Some 5,000 of those were British nationals, the U.K. Ministry of Defense told ABC News.
Between 100 and 200 U.K. nationals are estimated to have been left behind, and on Wednesday a spokesperson for the prime minister’s office confirmed to ABC News that an envoy had been dispatched to Qatar to speak with Taliban officials about the safe passage of those still in the country, even as the Taliban are now in control of the airport.
On Saturday, French President Emmanuel Macron announced the country had evacuated 2,834 people from Afghanistan. The military estimate that a “few dozen” French nationals were left behind.
Germany successfully evacuated 5,300 people including more than 530 German nationals and approximately 4,400 Afghans, according to the foreign ministry and Italy’s foreign minister said the country has taken on the largest number of Afghan evacuees in the European Union, with close to 5,000 Afghan citizens arriving in the country, according to Agence France-Presse.
In Eastern Europe, hundreds of Afghans have arrived in Kosovo, Albania, North Macedonia, many of whom are being housed temporarily at U.S. request and expected to travel on to America, according to local media reports. Russia evacuated some its own citizens, as well as those of its former Soviet allies from Afghanistan last week, according to Russia’s defense minister.
Japan evacuated one national and 15 Afghans, but around 500 people who sought evacuation were left behind after the suicide bombing at Kabul airport led to a reluctance to continue, according to Kyodo News.
In addition to the air evacuations, many Afghans have sought asylum across Afghanistan’s land borders, particularly as the airport became increasingly difficult to get to. Tens of thousands of people have crossed at two major border crossings – Spin Boldak in the south and Torkham in the north. The border, however, is closed to refugees, local officials have said.
Prior to the Taliban offensive, Iran officially had a population of 780,000 Afghan refugees, although it is estimated that a further 2 million may be living in the country without documentation, according to the UNHCR.
However the government, after initially indicating it may be receptive to the idea of accepting new Afghan refugees, has now adopted a policy of not letting Afghans in through one of the country’s main land borders, Iranian state-affiliated media reports.
Bordering Tajikistan and Uzbekistan are both dealing with an influx on Afghans, though so the numbers are estimated in the low thousands. They are reportedly expected to be flown onward to third countries.
The evacuation efforts are unlikely to be the last the world sees in terms of the mass movement of people from the country. Last week the U.N. estimated around 500,000 new refugees in the region seeking to leave the country as a “worst case scenario.” The EU is reportedly drafting a package of more than $700 million worth of aid to Afghanistan’s neighbors amid fears of a repeat of the migrant crisis following the Syrian civil war, according to the Financial Times.
And even with the U.S. led evacuation efforts wrapped up, there is growing pressure from the international community for the Taliban to continue to allow Afghans to leave the country, with many foreign nationals as well as tens of thousands of Afghans who helped during the U.S.’s longest war facing an unknown fate under the new regime.
