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Photos: Scenes From Hurricane Ida's Devastating Path

<strong>Thursday., Sept. 2: </strong>A group of Navy recruiters in Philadelphia help clear debris from the house of Ashley Thomas which was destroyed by a tornado in Mullica Hill, New Jersey.
Branden Eastwood
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AFP via Getty Images
Thursday., Sept. 2: A group of Navy recruiters in Philadelphia help clear debris from the house of Ashley Thomas which was destroyed by a tornado in Mullica Hill, New Jersey.

Updated September 2, 2021 at 6:51 PM ET

The remnants of Hurricane Ida has left a trail of destruction in its wake.

"We saw a horrifying storm last night, unlike anything we've seen before," New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said at a news conference on Thursday.

Here is a look at the damage on Ida's path.

<strong>Thursday., Sept. 2: </strong>A gas station in the Whitestone neighborhood of Queens was heavily damaged after a night of extremely heavy rain and wind.
Scott Heins / Getty Images
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Getty Images
Thursday., Sept. 2: A gas station in the Whitestone neighborhood of Queens was heavily damaged after a night of extremely heavy rain and wind.

Ida Brought Flash Flooding To The Northeast

A historic amount of rain fell on New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and other states in a very short period of time Wednesday and Thursday, bringing floods that threatened lives and stranded commuters and cars.

<strong>Thursday., Sept. 2: </strong>A car sits in a flooded driveway of a house in Mamaroneck, N.Y., after a night of heavy wind and rain from the remnants of Hurricane Ida.
Kena Betancur / AFP via Getty Images
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AFP via Getty Images
Thursday., Sept. 2: A car sits in a flooded driveway of a house in Mamaroneck, N.Y., after a night of heavy wind and rain from the remnants of Hurricane Ida.

About two dozen deaths have been reported from the storms, as rain and strong winds from the remnants of Hurricane Ida created flash floods and several tornadoes. The water came down in torrents, making flooding even more dangerous.

"This was an exceedingly rare event with 6-10" of rainfall falling over a several hour period," the National Weather Service office in New York said, highlighting the extraordinary speed with which the rainfall hit the area.

<strong>Thursday, Sept. 2</strong>: Cars sit abandoned on the flooded Major Deegan Expressway following a night of extremely heavy rain from the remnants of Hurricane Ida on September 2 in the Bronx borough of New York City.
Spencer Platt / Getty Images
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Getty Images
Thursday, Sept. 2: Cars sit abandoned on the flooded Major Deegan Expressway following a night of extremely heavy rain from the remnants of Hurricane Ida on September 2 in the Bronx borough of New York City.
<strong>Thursday., Sept. 2: </strong>Martha Suarez (c) reacts outside a house where people who died in the flooding in Queens, New York on September 2.
Jeenah Moon / The Washington Post via Getty Images
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The Washington Post via Getty Images
Thursday., Sept. 2: Martha Suarez (c) reacts outside a house where people who died in the flooding in Queens, New York on September 2.
<strong>Thursday., Sept. 2: </strong>A man uses garbage bags to keep his pants and feet dry as he crosses a flooded Lester Street in Passaic City.
Michael M. Santiago / Getty Images
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Getty Images
Thursday., Sept. 2: A man uses garbage bags to keep his pants and feet dry as he crosses a flooded Lester Street in Passaic City.
<strong>Thursday., Sept. 2: </strong>Train tracks are flooded in the Bronx following a night of heavy rain from the remnants of Hurricane Ida in New York City.
Spencer Platt / Getty Images
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Getty Images
Thursday., Sept. 2: Train tracks are flooded in the Bronx following a night of heavy rain from the remnants of Hurricane Ida in New York City.
<strong>Thursday., Sept. 2: </strong>A motorist drives a car through a flooded expressway in Brooklyn, New York early on September 2, 2021, as flash flooding and record-breaking rainfall brought by the remnants of Storm Ida swept through the area.
Ed Jones / AFP via Getty Images
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AFP via Getty Images
Thursday., Sept. 2: A motorist drives a car through a flooded expressway in Brooklyn, New York early on September 2, 2021, as flash flooding and record-breaking rainfall brought by the remnants of Storm Ida swept through the area.
<strong>Thursday., Sept. 2:</strong> Highway 440 flooded in Jersey City of New Jersey as hundreds of cars stuck in water as Hurricane Ida left behind flash floods east coast.
Tayfun Coskun / Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
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Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
Thursday., Sept. 2: Highway 440 flooded in Jersey City of New Jersey as hundreds of cars stuck in water as Hurricane Ida left behind flash floods east coast.
<strong>Wednesday., Sept. 1: </strong>Water is pumped from the basement of a business on Noblestown road in Oakdale, Pa., during clean up from flooding after downpours and high winds from the remnants of Hurricane Ida.
Gene J. Puskar / AP
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AP
Wednesday., Sept. 1: Water is pumped from the basement of a business on Noblestown road in Oakdale, Pa., during clean up from flooding after downpours and high winds from the remnants of Hurricane Ida.
<strong>Wednesday., Sept. 1: </strong>Comcast utility workers survey the damage from a tornado on West Street in Annapolis, Maryland.
Drew Angerer / Getty Images
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Getty Images
Wednesday., Sept. 1: Comcast utility workers survey the damage from a tornado on West Street in Annapolis, Maryland.
<strong>Wednesday., Sept. 1: </strong>A person walks through floodwaters on Newark Street caused by the remnants of Hurricane Ida drenching the New York City and New Jersey area in Hoboken, New Jersey.
Gary Hershorn / Getty Images
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Getty Images
Wednesday., Sept. 1: A person walks through floodwaters on Newark Street caused by the remnants of Hurricane Ida drenching the New York City and New Jersey area in Hoboken, New Jersey.

One Of The Worst Hurricanes To Hit Louisiana

Meanwhile, a massive relief effort is still underway across the Gulf Coast following the worst of Ida's tear through the region, as the storm knocked out power to more than 1 million homes and businesses.

"This is one of the strongest storms to make landfall in modern times," Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards said in a Sunday briefing.

Ida landed on the anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, blamed for 1,800 deaths in 2005.

Copyright 2023 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

<strong>Wednesday., Sept. 1:</strong> A family without power prepares for dinner in their front yard after Hurricane Ida in Hammond, La.
Sean Rayford / Getty Images
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Getty Images
Wednesday., Sept. 1: A family without power prepares for dinner in their front yard after Hurricane Ida in Hammond, La.
<strong>Tues., Aug. 31: </strong>Junior Godoy, 8, stands in front of his grandfather's house after it was flooded during Hurricane Ida in Barataria, La. "I've lost everything in my trailer because of the hurricane. I've lost everything, my family has lost everything and we're now trying to find help. We all live in this area and now it's all gone," said Fusto Maldonado.
Brandon Bell / Getty Images
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Getty Images
Tues., Aug. 31: Junior Godoy, 8, stands in front of his grandfather's house after it was flooded during Hurricane Ida in Barataria, La. "I've lost everything in my trailer because of the hurricane. I've lost everything, my family has lost everything and we're now trying to find help. We all live in this area and now it's all gone," said Fusto Maldonado.
<strong>Weds., Sept. 1:</strong> Natalie Francois stands in her flood damaged home in the aftermath of Hurricane Ida in Jean Lafitte, La.
John Locher / AP
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AP
Weds., Sept. 1: Natalie Francois stands in her flood damaged home in the aftermath of Hurricane Ida in Jean Lafitte, La.
<strong>Tues., Aug. 31: </strong>Destruction is left in the wake of Hurricane Ida in Grand Isle, La.
Win McNamee / Getty Images
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Getty Images
Tues., Aug. 31: Destruction is left in the wake of Hurricane Ida in Grand Isle, La.
<strong>Tues., Aug. 31: </strong>Ademir Sava fills his truck with gas after waiting in line for six hours in New Orleans.
Eric Gay / AP
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AP
Tues., Aug. 31: Ademir Sava fills his truck with gas after waiting in line for six hours in New Orleans.
<strong>Tues., Aug. 31: </strong>Destruction is left in the wake of Hurricane Ida on August 31, 2021 in Golden Meadow, La.
Win McNamee / Getty Images
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Getty Images
Tues., Aug. 31: Destruction is left in the wake of Hurricane Ida on August 31, 2021 in Golden Meadow, La.
<strong>Mon., Aug. 30: </strong>Marquita Jenkins stands in the ruins of the Be Love hair salon, owned by her mother, which was destroyed by Hurricane Ida on August 30, 2021 in LaPlace, Louisiana. Idas eastern wall went right over LaPlace inflicting heavy damage on the area.
Michael Robinson Chavez / The Washington Post via Getty Images
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The Washington Post via Getty Images
Mon., Aug. 30: Marquita Jenkins stands in the ruins of the Be Love hair salon, owned by her mother, which was destroyed by Hurricane Ida on August 30, 2021 in LaPlace, Louisiana. Idas eastern wall went right over LaPlace inflicting heavy damage on the area.
<strong>Tues., Aug. 31: </strong>People ride out of a flooded neighborhood in a volunteer high water truck assisting people evacuating from homes in LaPlace, La.
Patrick T. Fallon / AFP via Getty Images
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AFP via Getty Images
Tues., Aug. 31: People ride out of a flooded neighborhood in a volunteer high water truck assisting people evacuating from homes in LaPlace, La.
<strong>Mon., Aug. 30: </strong>People are evacuated from floodwaters in the aftermath of Hurricane Ida in LaPlace, La.
Gerald Herbert / AP
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AP
Mon., Aug. 30: People are evacuated from floodwaters in the aftermath of Hurricane Ida in LaPlace, La.
<strong>Mon., Aug. 30: </strong>Jeremy Hodges removes a light from his family's destroyed storage unit in Houma, La.
David J. Phillip / AP
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AP
Mon., Aug. 30: Jeremy Hodges removes a light from his family's destroyed storage unit in Houma, La.
<strong>Mon., Aug. 30: </strong>Children watch reporters at a building collapse scene in New Orleans.
Brandon Bell / Getty Images
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Getty Images
Mon., Aug. 30: Children watch reporters at a building collapse scene in New Orleans.
<strong data-stringify-type="bold">Mon., Aug. 30: </strong>A section of roof that was blown off of a building in the French Quarter in New Orleans.
Eric Gay / AP
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AP
Mon., Aug. 30: A section of roof that was blown off of a building in the French Quarter in New Orleans.
<strong data-stringify-type="bold">Mon., Aug. 30: </strong>A woman looks over damage to a neighborhood caused by Hurricane Ida in Kenner, La.
Scott Olson / Getty Images
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Getty Images
Mon., Aug. 30: A woman looks over damage to a neighborhood caused by Hurricane Ida in Kenner, La.
<strong data-stringify-type="bold">Mon., Aug. 30: </strong>New Orleans Police detective Alexander Reiter, looks over debris from a building that collapsed during Hurricane Ida in New Orleans.
Gerald Herbert / AP
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AP
Mon., Aug. 30: New Orleans Police detective Alexander Reiter, looks over debris from a building that collapsed during Hurricane Ida in New Orleans.
<strong>Sun., Aug. 29: </strong>Hurricane Ida is seen in this image taken aboard the International Space Station. The image was shared on European Space Agency astronaut and Expedition 65 crew member Thomas Pesquet's Twitter account, as the storm churned in the Gulf of Mexico ahead of its landfall.
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ESA/NASA
Sun., Aug. 29: Hurricane Ida is seen in this image taken aboard the International Space Station. The image was shared on European Space Agency astronaut and Expedition 65 crew member Thomas Pesquet's Twitter account, as the storm churned in the Gulf of Mexico ahead of its landfall.

Michele Abercrombie
Nicole Werbeck
Virginia Lozano
Bill Chappell is a writer and editor on the News Desk in the heart of NPR's newsroom in Washington, D.C.