JUDY WOODRUFF: The death toll from Ida grew today, and first responders in some places
went door to door to draw up lists of the missing. At least 49 people were killed in
five states in the Northeast, including at least 25 in the state of New Jersey.
President Biden traveled to Louisiana today to see the devastation from Ida,
which first hit the Gulf Coast as a hurricane nearly a week ago, about 816,000 people in the
region without power, and many without water. But hopes grew for restoring some of that next week.
Roby Chavez, our communities correspondent in New Orleans, begins with this report.
ROBY CHAVEZ: Tens of thousands of people across the Northeast are without power,
as many start to recover from the path of death and destruction left behind from Hurricane Ida.
The death toll was the highest in New Jersey,
where most drowned after being trapped in their cars. Before-and-after
satellite images from across the state show how catastrophic the flooding is.
The focus now? Recovery and prevention.
New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy:
GOV. PHIL MURPHY (D-NJ): It is quite clear our state
and our nation does not have the infrastructure to meet this moment
and to meet the future as it relates to these storms, which are more frequent and more intense.
ROBY CHAVEZ: In Pennsylvania, drones captured severe floodwaters
that consumed communities and highways. The Schuylkill River
nearly swelled onto the bridge. It has since dropped below flood stage.
Flood victims who were rescued in Montgomery Country were shocked
by the unprecedented rainfall. Those visiting from out of town were also caught off-guard.
SHERLY SATURNINO, Vacationer: We were staying at the Residence Inn when the waters rose
much higher and faster than we ever anticipated, and found ourselves trapped.
ROBY CHAVEZ: In New York City, commuters relying on the transit system were met with delays
as operations slowly recovered. Floodwaters blocked passageways in Central Park. Aside from
the structural damage, several deaths were also reported across New York, many of them trapped in
their basement units, including a toddler and his two parents in Queens. Some managed to get out.
DANNY ONG, Flood Survivor: The water goes to my neck. So,
my neighbor in the second floor, he hold my hand, and then I hold my wife's hand
and my (INAUDIBLE) hand, so we can get out from the basement.
ROBY CHAVEZ: New York Governor Kathy Hochul said the state will investigate
any shortcomings in the early warning advisories, but noted that the storm took experts by surprise.
GOV. KATHY HOCHUL (D-NY): Those warnings were there,
but what was not addressed was warnings perhaps in different languages.
ROBY CHAVEZ: Meanwhile in St. John Parish, Louisiana, President Biden met with officials,
where he was briefed on Hurricane Ida's destruction.
He reaffirmed that federal emergency relief is on the way.
JOE BIDEN, President of the United States: There's more to come to restore power as
fast as we possibly can, faster than anything that happened during Katrina.
ROBY CHAVEZ: In Southeastern Louisiana, entire small towns
were left devastated by storm damage. One of the coastal communities that President Biden
surveyed during an aerial tour was Grand Isle.
Piles of rubble lay where buildings and homes
once stood. Officials say the island is uninhabitable and is not accessible by land.
And in the town of Independence, Louisiana, officials are investigating the deaths
of four nursing home residents following their evacuation ahead of the storm.
More than 800 nursing home residents were being housed in unsafe and unsanitary conditions
inside a warehouse, reports of overcrowding and patients laying on the floor in feces
and urine. Residents on Thursday were transported from the facility
to hospitals for medical evaluation. At least 14 were hospitalized.
Family members were outraged.
RENETTA DEROSIA, Daughter: I thought they were coming to a nursing home, that they were going to
have nursing beds, and be -- there would have been taken care like they were in a nursing facility.
SABRINA COX, Niece: Elderly people should not be
treated like this in any kind of way. Nobody should be treated like this.
ROBY CHAVEZ: Across the state, food, water, and fuel remain scarce. Utility teams restored
electricity to several hospitals near New Orleans and Baton Rouge. Power is expected
to be restored in some areas by the middle of next week, a vital necessity, especially in a
state reeling from a resurgence in COVID-19 infections that has overwhelmed hospitals.
While New Orleans' storm infrastructure prevented some flooding,
rural areas remain in the dark, with a long recovery ahead.
For the "PBS NewsHour," I'm Roby Chavez.