Tropical storm “Ida”: Nobody expected the force

There were warnings, but in the end tropical storm “Ida” hit the US east coast much harder than expected. More than 40 people died. The damage is massive. President Biden called on insurance companies to help the people.

When the storm came, the walls burst. Ashley Thomas, from Mullica Hill, New Jersey, sought refuge in the basement of their family home with her husband and two children. But after 15 minutes it became too dangerous: “Fortunately, our cellar has its own exit. Otherwise we would not have been able to get out,” says Thomas.

The 37-year-old tells a television crew from the AP news agency that next time she will make sure that everyone has shoes on. The family’s house made of wood and pressboard has been completely destroyed.

More than 40 people were killed

On the east coast of the USA, people had been warned of tropical storm “Ida”, but no one had expected the force. It is now clear that more than 40 people have died between Maryland and Connecticut.

New Jersey Governor and former US Ambassador to Germany Phil Murphy said the main threat was the rains and floods. Most of the people who died were trapped in their vehicles by the floods and washed over by the water.

Biden: “Don’t hide behind the fine print”

In New York, too, the masses of water turned basement apartments, cellars and the subway shafts into life-threatening traps. Users posted pictures on the Internet with the heading: “Our infrastructure is not prepared for climate change.”

US President Joe Biden is flying to Louisiana today, where Ida first hit the US coast as a Category 4 hurricane earlier this week. Biden criticized insurance companies that do not want to help Americans who have left their homes as a precaution: “I call on private insurance companies not to hide behind the fine print and paperwork. Do your job, keep your promises to your communities. that you insure. “

In Louisiana, there is still a lack of electricity in many places, and in some places no help has arrived at all. And on the east coast, too, Governor Murphy warns against the all-clear too soon. “I want to appeal to everyone: Leave the streets, we’re not through yet. Stay at home when it’s safe enough. Too many families are already mourning the tragic death of loved ones.”