Thousands Of Cars, Houses Damaged By Flooding In New York

Two days after parts of the US east coast were hit by severe storms and rainfall, clean-up efforts are in full swing in New York City, Deutsche Presse-Agentur (dpa) reported.

Photo Insert: Ida's aftermath across New York

Some 1,300 cars have been towed so far, the city's emergency management commissioner, John Scrivani, said on Friday. Emergency services pumped water from hospitals, government buildings, and residential buildings. Damage was reported to more than 1,000 buildings.

Mayor Bill de Blasio announced that he would focus on improving the safety of New Yorkers living in basement flats in the future. Several people drowned in the water entering the basements overnight into Thursday.

De Blasio stressed that such extreme weather events would become more frequent in the future. He added that, from now on, the worst had to be expected, with storms coming more quickly, suddenly, and strongly.

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