Searches, sorrow in wake of Ida’s destructive, deadly floods

By MIKE CATALINI, WAYNE PARRY and MICHAEL R. SISAK
Associated Press

ELIZABETH, N.J. (AP) — Police are going door to door and drawing up lists of the missing as the death toll edges higher from the catastrophic flooding set off in the Northeast by the remnants of Hurricane Ida. At least 49 people in five states across the region have died. The storm swamped homes and engulfed vehicles, overwhelming urban drainage systems never meant to handle so much rain in such a short time. The disaster underscored with heartbreaking clarity how vulnerable the U.S. is to the extreme weather that climate change is bringing. In its wake, officials weighed far-reaching new measures to save lives in future storms.