The remnants of Hurricane Ida hit the upper East Coast and caused huge amounts of damage two weeks ago. Along with 13 storm deaths in Louisiana, this storm killed at least 50 people in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Connecticut. It left more than 150,000 homes without power. These large casualties resulted from a lack of experience with hurricanes and preparation for them in these states. For example, the infrastructure of these states was not built to withstand extreme flooding. Most casualties resulted from basements and illegal cellular apartments. Also, this heavy rainfall fell over some of the most populated cities in the country. More people were exposed to the extreme weather resulting in a higher number of deaths. 

Last week, President Biden traveled to New Jersey to assist with the relief efforts. This was his second visit in a week to survey storm damage. While in New Jersey, Biden approved disaster declarations for New Jersey and New York. He also addressed his proposal to immediately take action with his infrastructure plan to reduce the effects of these climate crises. With the deadly wildfires in the West and the flooding in the East, Biden believes the country must “take some bold action now to tackle the accelerating effects of climate.” These disasters brought a newfound concern for climate change that many people refused to notice before. The relief effort for Louisiana and these East Coast states is still going on. State leaders are calling for action to make sure states are better prepared for future extreme weather events. 

https://www.cnn.com/2021/09/07/politics/joe-biden-hurricane-ida-new-york-new-jersey/index.html