At least 42 people were killed when Hurricane Ida’s remnants wreaked havoc on the Northeast with tornadoes, record rain, and flooding, leaving the region flooded and under emergency conditions on Thursday.

After a wind-driven rainstorm shattered rainfall records and triggered an unprecedented flash flood emergency in New York City, videos on social media showed automobiles flooded on highways and water flowing into subway stations and houses.

Separate flooding occurrences in the city killed four women, three men, and a 2-year-old boy, according to authorities. According to New York Police Department Commissioner Dermot Shea, all eight victims were Queens residents who died in the basements of their homes.

The death toll in the New York City area had increased to 13, Mayor Bill de Blasio revealed on Thursday evening.

De Blasio stated, “We’re seeing some of the most unbelievable and heartbreaking images from around our city,” “This is a tragic loss for our city.”

Three more deaths were confirmed Thursday afternoon in the same neighbourhood where the toddler and two other people were discovered dead, according to NBC New York.

Four occupants of the Oakwood Plaza Apartments complex in Elizabeth, four people in Somerset County, one person whose body was discovered in Passaic, and one person whose body was discovered in South Plainfield were among the 23 people killed in New Jersey. According to Elizabeth spokesperson Kelly Martins, three of the four inhabitants were family members, ages 72, 71, and 38, while the fourth was a 33-year-old female neighbour.

Gov. Phil Murphy announced nine more deaths on Thursday afternoon, bringing the total to 23 across the state.

“I am saddened to report that, as of right now, at least 23 New Jerseyans have lost their life to this storm. The majority of these deaths were individuals who got caught in their vehicles by flooding and were overtaken by the water. Our prayers are with their family members,” Murphy said in the tweet.

Authorities have not yet released the victims’ names. They were reportedly discovered on the first floor of the apartment, but it is unclear whether they were found inside or outside.

Two of the fatalities occurred in Hillsborough Township and two in Bridgewater Township, according to a Somerset County official. According to the official, two persons died in separate events in flooded vehicles in Hillsborough. When they came to flooding in Bridgewater Township, two people died. According to a county spokeswoman, they got out of the car and were washed away by floodwaters.

According to the town’s mayor, firemen in Passaic retrieved a body from a vehicle that was submerged in floodwaters near the Passaic River.

Authorities in South Plainfield said they heard cries from a female pedestrian Wednesday night about a buddy being carried into a 36-inch storm sewer pipe. According to Mayor Matt Anesh’s office, they learned afterwards that two guys were swept into the pipe. The body of Edison resident Dhanush Reddy, 31, was discovered in a forested area in Piscataway on Thursday morning, officials said.

According to Montgomery County Board of Commissioners Chairwoman Dr. Valerie Arkoosh, at least three people died as a result of the storm in the Philadelphia suburb. The victims’ identities and circumstances of death were not revealed. Milford Township, Bucks County, reported a fourth death.

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul told reporters that officials were still assessing the damage and “uncovering the true depth of the loss.”

“I don’t want this to happen again,” she said during a news conference Thursday. “We haven’t experienced this before, but we should expect it the next time.”