After Hurricane Ida hit the southern U.S. town earlier this week and cut off New Orleans, many thought the danger had passed. For many years, including in New York City, where the subway system was shut down almost completely.
Just a few weeks ago a record amount of rain was broken for an hour when it fell in New York, and now with this storm, that record was broken again - and by and large.
It seems like this crazy weather has become the new normal.
What was once an exception, now appears more and more.
Waves crash on a lighthouse in New Orleans, after Hurricane Ida // Photo: Reuters,
I lived in the New Orleans area for about a decade, I saw the enormous damage that a hurricane can inflict.
But to see "Ida" wreak such havoc in one night in New York after "strolling" all the way from New Orleans is something else.
Luckily, most of the devastation caused by the storm in New York was far from my home in south Brooklyn and was more towards Queens, but the whole city was affected.
Even the children and dogs were frightened by the thunder and the wind.
Luckily for us as mentioned, we and our house were left intact.
We got a push on the cell phone that we must stay away from low places, and the harsh scenes of the flooding in the underground system - the lifeline of the city - and the rescue of the people from the flooded carriages, was inconceivable.
We did not think we would see anything like this unless it was a huge catastrophe.
This raises difficult questions about the strength of the city's infrastructure and whether it is prepared for the future.
A woman and her daughter hide from the wind in New Orleans, Hurricane Ida, EP
Most of the damage was in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut, where the amount of rain that fell during the night was so great that it caused flash floods that killed 20 people, including a two-year-old boy.
President Biden spoke with the governors of the affected states and said he would harness the federal government to help.
"The amount of rain that fell crossed records. In one day New York got more than it usually gets every September," Biden said.
At the same time, some governors have declared a state of emergency.
At the same time, in Louisiana, where a magnitude 4 hurricane struck as it began sweeping over the U.S., authorities warned residents that the situation would continue to be dire for the foreseeable future due to the massive damage. Entire parts of New Orleans were flooded, exactly 16 years after Hurricane Katrina claimed the lives of nearly 2,000 people.
Mike Wagenheim is a senior reporter for i24NEWS in New York.