the longer you've been with us... the more rewards you can get. like sharpening your cooking skills with a top chef. join for free on the xfinity app and watch all the rewards float in. our thanks. your rewards. welcome back to cnn's breaking news coverage from cnn headquarters here in atlanta, i'm rosemary church. i'm john vause. two major stories, this hour. a state of emergency in effect for new york and new jersey as the remnants of hurricane ida bring severe flooding, heavy rain, and tornados. >> we are also following breaking news from the u.s. supreme court. in a split decision, the court refusing to block the strictest abortion law in the country.

more from texas, in a moment. but first, what's being called an historic weather event. more than 16 million people now under a flash-flood watch in the northeast as the remnants of hurricane ida bring record-breaking rainfall to new york city and newark. tonight, warnings were issued for neighborhoods in the bronx and across new york state and new jersey and pennsylvania. more than 240,000 homes are without electricity. >> the governor of new york is declaring a state of emergency, amid reports of widespread flash flooding. and new york city is now under its first-ever flash-flood emergency. the rising waters have effectively shut down the city's subway. here's new york's mayor, bill de blasio. >> i'm very, very worried about what's happening out on the roads. i want to urge everyone, get in quickly. do not stay out on the roads. it's dangerous. we're seeing a kind of rainfall we almost never see. this kind of speed with which the rain has come. everyone's got to get to safety. do not be out on the roads if

you have any choice. and the subways, also, i'm sad to say, the subways are basically out of commission at this point. also, not safe to go there. tomorrow, do not go into a street, a road, a highway with a lot of water accumulated that could be superdangerous. >> state of emergency, also, in effect for new jersey. out of the national weather service, confirmed at least two large and destructive tornados. almost all well services in the state now suspended because of the extreme weather. rescue crews are scouring the streets but people stuck in cars or areas where they are unable to get through the massive floodwaters. >> there is at least one confirmed death it's been reported in passaic, new jersey. an elderly man pulled from his car after it was overtiaken by fl floodwaters. here is how the mayor described the situation. >> there are two vehicles that are presently stuck there. the individuals were rescued from that area. unfortunately, that was not the

case. we had a tragedy in our city so not every incident resulted in a -- in a complete rescue. we had a loss of life. i am presently going to our tenth street where our riverbanks have crested and gone over the banks into the street. and i am -- i am, through executive order, having people evacuated from the area and brought into city hall. >> brian stelter is in new jersey. >> we also have shimon prokupecz in new york city. so, shimon, to you first. the very latest from what you are seeing there? and we understand the rain may be easing a little at this -- at this hour. >> yeah. the rain actually has stopped. i was just -- i am actually under -- underground right now in the times square subway st station just checking out what's going on. i was just upstairs before we came on air so the rain as eased. people are on the streets in manhattan just trying to figure out how to get home. there are thousands of people stranded all across the city at subway stops.

i am literally here underground now. people are sleeping, laying on floors, sleeping on benches. they are prepared to spend the night here because it seems, at least till now, there won't be any subway service here at least through the morning. at least until the morning because the subway system. the water needs to be pumped out. there is still a lot of subway stations where there's flooding, a lot of water. and it's not very clear if it's safe for some of the trains to even come through the station. so right now, everything underground, above ground in terms of the subway system has stopped. you know, there's just been massive flooding all across -- all across the city in every part of the city. the roads, the highways, cross streets. hundreds of rescues by emergency personnel, from the fire department to the police department. receiving hundreds of calls from drivers, people in cars saying that they were trapped. and they were responding,

emergency authorities, and rescuing people. pulling them out of cars, pulling them out of the water because the water came so quickly, people were going home. people were going driving like as if nothing was about to happen. and then, suddenly, just a constant rain. the heavy rain just was coming and coming. and streets got flooded. highways, roads. a lot of drainage issues. so, when some of the streets, that's what was causing a lot of the flooding. sadly, we did get a report that one person has died at a building collapse in queens. so, authorities are investigating that. but really, it's going to be a really tough night for many, many people here in new york city. many of them spending the night here in the subway. some people cleaning out from their basement. lot of people lost cars. when we wake up in the morning and as daylight comes, we are going to really see the impact of this storm. this is just crazy. and for new york city, so unprecedented. when you think the subway has stopped.

you know, when there is a snow storm here, they close the subway. if there is a major snowstorm coming in, they prepare. they close things down. subways are one of the things that close down. something like this was just completely unexpected and now, sadly, so many people out here spending the night in the subway. it's just really -- i know, for me, i have down here now for two, three hours. it's just so hard to see. a lot of people saying they are hungry. they don't know what they're going to do. so for now, it looks like it's going to be a very, very long night and a long morning here for folks underground here in the subway system in times square. >> it is just gone six minutes past 2:00 in the morning there. and shimon giving us the very latest with so many people just trying to get home. trying to work out how they will get home and what's going on. >> images are just extraordinary. all right. let's go to brian stelter as we mentioned. he is in new jersey. brian, what have you been seeing? and talk to us about the flooding there. >> yes. this is the kind of night, the kind of morning that shows you extreme weather is becoming more and more common. becoming more and more of a crisis situation in towns,

cities, counties that are not built for this. not equipped for this amount of rainfall this fast a period of time. of course, we are talking about the remnants of ida crashing into louisiana a couple -- few days ago. and has been soaking the united states, ever since. and the same kind of infrastructure problems we saw in louisiana, we are now seeing in new jersey and new york. earlier today, tornados south of where i am located closer to philadelphia. but in new jersey, we saw tornados -- tornado also in annapolis, maryland. so, multiple twisters kicked up by the remnants of ida. but the real, biggest story as you said is the flooding. 4 inches of rain in many areas. and -- and then, the more localized, 6, 8, 10 inches of rain in some pockets in some neighborhoods and that is why we are seeing so many pictures of cars submerged. of people needing rescues. and those rescues are still happening right now in different stretches of the 95 corridor.

anybody who's been to the northeast knows the 95 corridor up and down from boston to new york to washington. that's really where the focus of this rain has been and where the problem areas have been. we saw newark airport earlier tonight. waterfalls coming down the escalators and the stairs at newark international airport. and just in the past hour, we have seen streets turning into rivers in new haven, connecticut. of course, the home to yale university where some of the dorms started to flood just as students arrive back on campus after a long coronavirus day. students moving into yale, and then beof course their dorms flooding. flooding in connecticut, rhode island, and into massachusetts, there are warnings now out of martha's vineyard and cape cod for severe weather moving through there. so these flood warnings. we are going to see them in multiple ways because as rivers crest in pennsylvania, new jersey, new york, we will see further flooding in the coming hours and days.

but right now, the -- the more urgent emergency is to try to help folks who were standed overnight when the water just poured so quickly here in jersey and other states. just poured down so quickly that the local infrastructure was overwhelmed. >> absolutely. brian stelter bringing us up to date there from new jersey. do take care out there, brian. >> this system is moving on. now, heading off to rhode island as well as massachusetts. so let's go to meteorologist, pedram javaheri, for the very latest. and pedram, all this hasn't just been caused by ida. there is a frontal system in the mix, as well. >> that's right. the frontal system's kind of reenergizing what is left of ida here and it's really producing a tremendous amount of rainfall. and the forecast models did put top of the charts rainfall in the area but certainly, you can never forecast historic amount of rains and that is exactly what is playing out here. here is what is left of ida. you notice the satellite imagery as it kind of makes its final push across portions of the northeast and on into the canadian maritimes. and by the time we get to, say,

7:00, 8:00, 9:00 a.m., it is all out of here. but before we get there, still tremendous amount of rainfall across parts of connecticut, areas of rhode island, on into massachusetts, boston include ud. and this is a dor nay dough wat through at least 3:00 a.m. because of the amount of rotation within these system, very often they spawn tornados and this particular one has already spawned at least five and we know a couple more certainly possible before the night is all said and done. but you notice, heavy rainfall. maybe 2 to 3 inches per hour in some of these spots still occurring but really what played out across parts of new york city, parts of newark in general. these are the most remarkable numbers you will see in any location but for new jersey, that is the single wettest day on record and records go back to the 19th century as far as how much rain has come down in a single day. in new york in one hour in central park, we picked up 3.15 inches of rainfall. it's a 200-year event. that's an exceptionally rare

event to take place here and, of course, in a very densely urban environment for a lot of populations reside. that is going to lead to significant flooding. the national weather service in new york city issued a flash-flood emergency. this is also exceedingly rare to see a flash-flood emergency because it's not just that flooding is occurring. it's catastrophic life-threatening flooding and also water rescues are taking place for this product to be issued and that is what's happened for the first time in the city's history, guys. >> wow. we appreciate that. a lot more, of course, on this story. pedram will be with us throughout the night. we will have more on the record-breaking rain and the flooding hitting the northeast. states of emergency are now in effect. roads and subways are shut down. and the threat from ida is far from over. plus, breaking news from the u.s. supreme court as the justices weigh in on the restrictive new abortion law in texas. we'll have more on that, on the other side of the break. do stay with us. print. come on! print! print! print! do you suffer from cartridge conniptions?

be conniption-free, thanks to the cartridge-free epson ecotank printer. a ridiculous amount of ink! do i look like a money tree? the epson ecotank. just fill & chill. that's a nice truck. yeah, it's the chevy sverado. check t this multi-flex tailgate. multi-flex, huh? wow. it becomes a step. mom, dad's flexing again. that's not all. you can extend the bed for longer stuff. is he still... still flexing. that's right! and, it becomes a workspace... you can put your laptop here. i'm sending an imaginay email. hey dad, dinner! hey! look who stopped by daddy's office. wait, you work here? the chevy silverado with the available multi-flex tailgate. find new flexibility. find new roads. chevrolet. - that moment you walk in the office and people are wearing the same gear, you feel a sense of connectedness and belonging right away.

and our shirts from custom ink help bring us together. - [narrator] custom ink has hundreds of products to help you feel connected. upload your logo or start your design today at customink.com welcome to allstate. where you can pay a little less and enjoy the ride a little more. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ now, get new lower auto rates with allstate. because better protection costs a whole lot less. you're in good hands with allstate. click or call for a lower auto rate today.

i booked our hotel on kayak. it's flexible if we need to cancel. cancel. i haven't left the house in a year. nothing will stop me from vacation. no canceling. flexible cancellation. kayak. search one and done. go with simparica trio it's triple protection made simple! simparica trio is the first and only monthly chewable that covers heartworm disease, ticks and fleas, round and hookworms. dogs get triple protection in just one simparica trio! this drug class has been associated with neurologic adverse reactions, including seizures. use with caution in dogs with a history of these disorders. protect him with all your heart. simparica trio.

we are following breaking news out of the northeastern united states where the remnants of hurricane ida are bringing torrential rain and flash floods to the area. the governors of new york and

new jersey have declared states of emergencies. and new york city is under a flash-flood watch until next hour. and there are flood warnings across the region, as well. new york city has now seen record rainfall for the second time in less than two weeks. ida dumped 3 inches of rain in an hour wednesday night. roads and homes have been flooded. mayor bill de blasio said the city was enduring an historic-weather event. earlier, cnn spoke to the democratic nominee for mayor of new york city, and here is what he had to say about the devastating flooding and why it's being caused. >> for the first time in my life, don, tin the city that i saw the brooklyn bridge flooded on the inbound ramp and we tried to assist some of the motorists. but everything from our train stations to parts of crown heights, you're seeing a high level of water, flooding of

wars. even really outside the -- the water lying areas. so it's a real concern that we are experiencing during this storm. that's why we call it mother nature because this is still our planet. and although we -- by so many things that we have done. it's real that global warming is here. our role is to be able to respond to those emergencies so that people are not trapped in their homes or trapped in their vehicles. or that we get emergency services where they are needed. another breaking story we are following. the u.s. supreme court has refused to block a controversial new abortion law in the state of texas. the decision was 5-4 with chief justice john roberts joining the three liberals. >> the texas law is almost a total ban prohibiting abortion after the sixth week of pregnancy. it also allows for anyone in the u.s. to bring a civil lawsuit against those who help a woman

who is seeking an abortion. >> joining me now from los angeles, cnn legal analyst and civil rights attorney areva martin. good to talk with you, areva. >> hi, rosemary. >> so, the supreme court has now formally denied a request to freeze this controversial texas abortion law that bans abortions even before most women know they are pregnant. what is your reaction to this? >> a stunning decision. a real violation as -- you know, supporting this law is denying women the rights to make choices about their reproductive health. really, stunning that the supreme court would allow a law which is so blatantly unconstitutional, so blatantly in violation of the principle established by roe v wade almost 50 years ago and a real blow to women not just in texas but around the country because it's very clear that other states -- states that have been looking to deny women the rights to an abortion -- will look to this

law that has been upheld by the supreme court. by all, you know, by all essential purposes, will look to this and -- and acting similar laws in their own states. >> and as the strictest abortion law in the country, it even goes so far as allowing private citizens to bring civil suits against anyone who helps a woman get an abortion. which could mean a family member, a doctor, even an uber driver taking a pregnant woman to a clinic. you mention this is not legal. it's not constitutional. so, what is the next step for women who want to fight this? who need to fight this? >> well, we are hearing, rosemary, from women who are involved in this struggle in the state of texas saying this isn't over. they are going to continue to fight this through the texas state court system and continue to try to press in the state courts to have this law overturned. but this is a real blow. this is a significant blow to those advocates who have been fighting for reproductive rights

and justice for women. and you're right. this law gives private citizens, anyone, including someone maybe that has committed a sexual assault crime against a woman, to file a civil lawsuit. to seek $10,000 in damages. to have their attorney's fees paid. and this could be someone who has no relationship to the person. it could be a complete stranger. someone that happened to give the woman a ride to a clinic. or someone that loaned money to the woman. it could be a family member. this is a very dangerous law that has been passed, and now upheld at this time by the supreme court. >> and, areva, many women's rights groups are very worried about what this could mean for the landmark u.s. supreme court decision roe versus wade which ruled the constitution protects a woman's right to choose to have an abortion without excessive government restriction. so what is the likely future of roe versus wade do you think given this? >> given what we see in terms of this 5-4 decision, again, not

very promising. not very hopeful going forward. even though the court didn't rule on the merits of this case and -- and made it clear in its order that it wasn't reaching the merits -- that it was ruling on the procedural grounds in upholding the law. it tells us a lot. you know, the -- the -- the order by these five justices speaks volumes. and we know that when donald trump appointed the three judges that he appointed to the court, he did so with the notion that he wanted judges that would overturn roe v wade. we have heard justice clarence thomas. we know his opinion. we've heard from gorsuch. these judges have already made it pretty clear that they believe roe v wade is unconstitutional and that it was a wrong decision and that it should be overturned. so, knowing what we already know, having heard from these judges before, i don't -- i don't expect roe to have an easy time in the court system. and in fact, we may be looking at 50 years of protection for

women's rights being overturned in this next court season because, rosemary, we should note that it's not just this texas law. there is a case before the supreme court involving a mississippi abortion law that involves 15 weeks ban on abortions at 15 weeks. so, we have to watch this space very closely. but not very promising for those who are, you know, fighting for women's rights. >> yeah. cnn legal analyst, areva martin. many thanks for joining us. appreciate it. with that, we will take a short break. our coverage here of the states of emergency which have been declared for new york and new jersey and in new york city, in effect for the next few hours. stay with us for the very latest on this weather emergency. water? why?! ahhhh! incoming! ahhhahh! i'm saved! water tatastes like, water. so we fixed it. mimio.

(vo) when it comes to safety, who has more 2021 i-h-s top safety pick plus winning vehicles the highest level of safety you can earn? subaru. when it comes to longevity, who has the highest percentage of its vehicles still on the road after ten years? subaru. and when it comes to brand loyalty, who does j.d. power rank number one in the automotive industry for three consecutive years? subaru. it's easy to love a car you can trust. it's easy to love a subaru. before i got my dexcom g6, i can never get my a1c below 13. and now it's 7.4. before i got my dexcom g6, this small wearable lets me see my numbers on my phone. it's so much easier to make adjustments. now i feel like i've got this. you've been taking mental health meds, and your mind is finally in a better place. except now you have uncontrollable body movements

called tardive dyskinesia td. and it can seem like that's all people see. ♪ some meds for mental health can cause abnormal dopamine signaling in the brain. while how it works is not fully understood, ingrezza is thought to reduce that signaling. ingrezza is a prescription medicine used to treat adults with td movements in the face and body. people taking ingrezza can stay on their current dose of most mental health meds. don't take ingrezza if you're allergic to any of its ingredients. ingrezza may cause serious side effects, including sleepiness. don't drive, operate heavy machinery, or do other dangerous activities until you know how ingrezza affects you. other serious side effects include potential heart rhythm problems and abnormal movements. shift the focus more on you. ask your doctor about ingrezza. it's simple. one pill, once-daily. #1 prescribed for td. learn how you could pay as little as $0 at ingrezza.com today let's paint with behr ultra scuff defense® ...so that you can live that scuff-free life. honey, i'm home!

honey! scuff defense. right now, get incredible savings on select behr ultra® paints, starting at $29.98* ♪ ayy, ayy, ayy ♪ ♪ yeah, we fancy like applebee's on a date night ♪ ♪ got that bourbon street steak with the oreo shake ♪ ♪ get some whipped cream on the top too ♪ ♪ two straws, one check, girl, i got you ♪ ♪ bougie like natty in the styrofoam ♪ ♪ squeak-squeakin' in the truck bed all the way home ♪ ♪ some alabama-jamma, she my dixieland delight ♪ ♪ ayy, that's how we do, ♪ ♪ how we do, fancy like, oh ♪

this is cnn breaking news. >> and we return to our breaking news. states of emergency are now in effect in new york and new jersey, as the remnants of hurricane ida hammer the u.s. northeast with record rainfall, flash flooding, and tornados. >> the first-ever flash-flood emergency was issued for new york city. it has now been downgraded to a flash-flood watch. a ban remains in place for all nonemergency travel in new york city for the next few hours. at least two deaths from the storm system are now confirmed in the northeast. one man whose vehicle was overtaken by floodwaters in new

jersey. another person killed in queens, new york, when part of a building collapsed. >> and the flooding is so bad in new york, nearly all of the city's subway lines have been shut down. >> new york governor kathy hochul told cnn earlier the situation in the subway remains extremely dangerous. >> we're actually preparing for the hurricane henri, you know, two weeks ago. so we were already having the assets in place. and we -- we're not inexperienced in this but it is always quite shocking when you literally see the streets of new york looking like the rivers flowing and people just in shock of what's going on. especially, the images of what's happening in the subways. so these are dangerous situations. want to make sure people stay away from them so we can take all the precautions in advance. and we did deploy assets to be on the ground in anticipation but mother nature will do whatever she wants, and she is really angry tonight. we have to be prepared to -- for cleanup tomorrow. i will be onsite in the morning making sure that this is going well. but right now, we're in a very dire situation.

>> well, for the very latest, we have cnn's shimon prokupecz in new york. >> and brian stelter is in new jersey. >> we'll start with shimon with the very latest on the subway system. we just heard from the governor, kathy hochul, talking about the situation there. any idea, shimon, about how much damage has been caused? how long it will be before it re-opens, before they can re-open? >> i -- i don't expect to see any kind of extensive damage in manhattan or midtown or times square area. the damage we are going to see is going to come from places like brooklyn and the bronx and queens and also staten island which saw some severe, severe flooding. so i suspect those areas, homes flooded out and a lot of people losing their cars because they drove through the rain into what they thought perhaps didn't see as flooded or as deep. and then, as they got through there, they got stuck and -- and in many cases, people had to be rescued by emergency personnel.

the big thing here right now in new york city is getting the subways back up and running. you know, i'm down at the subway system down at times square area. i am actually now, for the first time, i'm seeing track workers on the tracks walking conducting what looks like inspections with flashlights. and they are walking through the tracks. and just when you walk through these -- now, this is my third subway stop that i am at in the last several hours. it's just amazing to see how many people are still here trying to wait. wait this out to get home. i mean, the trains are not going to be running anytime soon. at least not until daybreak. as they need to continue to inspect the tracks. they need to see if it's safe to start running the trains. a lot are still flooded. there is still a lot of water that needs to be pumped out. so i mean, people are standing around. i have seen people sleeping. some people just laying on some benches here. but they're going to be here all night.

and really, it is a just sad to see this because, you know, many people are just trying to get home. i have seen frontline workers, nurses, and delivery people on their bikes after spending the day delivering food. even in the rain out here. you know, delivering food. trying to get home. and so, that's what's going on now. people that are just stranded. nowhere to go. trying to figure out how to get home. i did see people up out on the streets that are trying to stop cabs and ubers to see if they could carpool maybe to get home in that way. people making friends here trying to figure out where do people live? and perhaps, they can share a ride. um, and i am seeing some lights here coming through the tunnel. so people here are getting excited thinking it's a subway but it looks like more track workers. there is a subway -- there is a car that's coming through the subway stop here. it's the c train. so let's see. maybe, people will be able to get on and -- and hopefully, start to head home. but this is certainly something.

some glimmer of hope for people here. >> just -- >> i don't know. i mean, this is going to be a really long night for so many people here who are now stranded. >> just quickly, shimon, while we have you. you say the track workers are down there. they are trying to obviously work out what the situation is. is there any other sign down there of any kind of emergency personnel? are there police there? any crews trying to help these people? >> they're left on their own which, to me, is astounding. you know, there are no mta workers going to them asking them anything. so there is a train that just pulled into the -- it's the c train. the 8th avenue line here at times square. and it looks like they're -- they're going to take passengers on the train here. so hopefully, some good news here for folks trying to get home. i don't know. i see a guy here whose feet are soaking wet. he's barefoot getting on -- on the train here. b but, okay. so this train at least some --

some hope for folks here. we will see what happens here. but no, there's been no -- barely any police. people are left on their own here, at this point. it's pretty amazing, actually, to see. and, you know, some people are losing patience. they're arguing with some of the -- the -- the clerks here that work in the token booths. but for the most part, people are just hanging out. you know, it's been peaceful so far. hopefully, that continues. but there is some -- some glimmer of hope here as we see one train pulling in. going to head uptown. i don't know how far it's going to be able to take people. >> shimon, thank you. that is at least one train operating heading uptown. rosy. >> brian stelter is standing by in new jersey. brian, we are getting word of major flooding from new york to philadelphia. what details are you getting on that? >> that's right and that's why a state of emergency is in effect here in new jersey, as well as in new york. this is what it's like when the gulf of mexico gets dumped onto the northeast.

that's what we are witnessing as the remnants of ida move north. and so much energy, so much water is being moved with it. the new york national weather service calling this an exceedingly rare event. and just sharing some new data about how much water was inundating the region in the last few hours. saying there have been widespread rainfall totals of 3 to 5 inches. and then, 6 to 8 inches within one specific band that did include new york city. and that's why we're seeing so many basements flooded in new york city. so many cars submerged. and i -- and i actually fear that when we wake up in the morning and when the -- the -- the -- the sun rises, we're going to see more of the damage in and around new york city as a result of this inundation. but we have already seen some of the images from newark, new jersey. from passaic. from other parts of this region that absolutely were saturated. you know, certainly, folks here in jersey expected a day of heavy rain. but when this rain which, you

know, is coming on so fast, so fierce, as the -- as the climate gets warmer and warmer and warmer, this environment becomes so saturated, you get so much rainfall so quickly that it overwhelms the infrastructure. and that's true in small towns, in pennsylvania, in new jersey, and it's equally true when you get to hoboken, when you get to new york city. when you get to new haven, connecticut. and now, as ida moves further north, we are seeing reports of cars submerged in wooster, massachusetts. and in barnstable, massachusetts. now, thankfully, in the past few minutes, the tornado warning on cape cod has expired. hopefully, the last of the tornado warnings. we saw some incredible images of tornados earlier in the day in maryland and in new jersey near philadelphia. these very kind of -- it is very rare to see a tornado of that scale on the ground in the northeast. but it was all kicked up due to the remnants of ida as this storm moved north. and i think when daybreak comes in a few hours, the questions do

turn to infrastructure. can cities like new york and newark and new haven and providence be more -- be -- be built in a way to be more resilient during these storms? because think about what happened ten days ago. cnn aired that live concert in central park, and it was called off halfway through because of torrential rain. we found out that night it was the heaviest hour of rain in new york city history. well, that record from ten days ago was smashed tonight. a new record for the -- the -- the most rain in a single hour in new york city. so as we see more and more of these records. as the extremes become the new normal, i think folks look around as they dig out from the floodwaters and they try to find their submerged cars and they wonder what is the solution to this puzzle? >> yeah. it is certainly a wake-up call and perhaps a suggestion some are saying that power lines need to be put underground like they

are in some other cities because that vulnerability is extraordinary. we are seeing that in louisiana right now. brian stelter, many thanks. shimon prokupecz, also, joining us there a little earlier. do stay safe, both of you. joining me on the line now from brooklyn, new york, is james west. thank you so much for talking with us. >> rosemary, thanks for having me. >> and, james, you just flew home to new york city from abroad. what did you think once you -- you realized that the city was flooding? how did you get home? >> well, i -- i was arriving from london at jfk airport -- um -- and it's usually a bit crazy getting home. usually, about half-an-hour to 40-minute trip. this time, turned into over two hours, maybe two and a half hours to get home. um, straight into the aftermath, the remnants of hurricane ida. um and i don't think i've ever seen anything quite like it.

i was here for hurricane sandy in new york city. and your viewers may remember flooded streets, flooded subways. well, tonight, in new york city, the entire subway system is essentially suspended. the roads everywhere i saw coming out of the airport and beyond, flooded. dozens and dozens and dozens of cars stranded. people trying to work out what to do. get out of their cars. try to walk somewhere in the pouring rain. fortunately, i had -- um -- a very battle-hardened new york uber drive uber driver who was committed to getting me home through some very sticky patches but it was like rivers out there. um, and i saw many, many people in a lot worse condition than i was. thank goodness. >> and, james, as you have been speaking with us, we have been looking at these pictures. the images are just extraordinary in the subway. on the roads. just amazing. as you say, never seen anything

like it. certainly, not in new york city. so once you got home after two hours, normally a 30-minute trip as you say, took you two hours to get home. what did you find? >> well, in looking out the window and reviewing some of the -- the photos and videos that i took on my trip home. and fortunately, where my neck of the woods is -- is totally fine here. obviously, very, very wet. but, you know, tomorrow morning when the sun comes up, we'll begin to assess the damage. i have been on twitter -- um -- and social media like you and your viewers just looking at the extraordinary amount of water that's coming into this -- this place. and again, that closest comparison that i have is hurricane sandy where we were -- um -- inundated then. and this, to me, just -- just my experience tonight and this is what i experienced then, it's up

there with one of the -- the bigger, major weather events that i have seen in this city. >> yeah, totally understand that. james west, thank you so much for talking with us and we are a' glad you got safely home. >> going to dry my hair now i think. >> thank you go. thank you so much, james. bye-bye. >> good plan. okay. still to come. floods and storms not the only extreme weather right now in the united states. wildfires in california have forced thousands from their homes. but there is now help coming directly from washington. we're carvana, the company who invented car vending machines and buying a car 100% online. now we've created a brand-new way for you to sell your car. whether it's a y year old or a few years old. we wanna buy your car. so go to carvana and enter your license plate answer a few questions. and our techno wizardry calculates your car's value and gives you a real offer in seconds. when you're ready, we'll come to you, pay you on the spot and pick up your car, that's it. so ditch the old way of selling your car, and say hello to the new way at carvana.

it's time for the biggest sale of the year, on the new sleep number 360 smart bed. it helps keep you effortlessly comfortable by sensing your movements and automatically responding to both of you. and, it's temperature balancing to help you stay comfortable all night. it even tracks your circadian rhythm, so you know when you're at your best. in other words, it's the most energy-building, wellness-boosting, parent-powering, proven quality night's sleep we've ever made. save 50% on the new sleep number 360 limited edition smart bed. plus, 0% interest for 36 months and free premium delivery. ends labor day.

every single day, we're all getting a little bit better. we're better cooks... better neighbors... hi. i've got this until you get back. better parents... and better friends. no! no! that's why comcast works around the clock constantly improving america's largest gig-speed broadband network. and just doubled the capacity here. how do things look on your end? -perfect! because we're building a better network every single day. welcome back, everyone. we return now to our breaking news in the u.s. the ream mnants of hurricane id bringing deadly flooding to the northeast. more than 240,000 power outages have been reported across the region. officials continuing to issue

warnings to remain indoors. parts of new york city were under a flash-flood emergency for the first time, ever. most subway service has been shut down. meanwhile, the city has issued a travel ban until 5:00 a.m. local time. all nonemergency vehicles must be off the streets. and on the u.s. west coast, the huge caldor fire is now 23% contained. firefighters are hoping improved weather conditions in the coming days will help bring the blaze under control. strong, gusty winds which had been driving the fire towards the mountain resort area of lake tahoe are expected to ease in the coming hours. but conditions remain bone dry and humidity low. more than 200,000 acres have burned. at least 700 homes and structures destroyed. tens of thousands of residents have been forced to evacuate. >> we raised all eight of our children right here. i want to go but i also want to stay. i know once i leave, i can't get back in so that's the main

thing. >> and the white house has now approved a request from california for a presidential emergency declaration for direct financial assistance. cnn's stephanie elam is near lake tahoe with late details. >> reporter: i am standing in the midst of the caldor fire that is burning in northern california. and working its way towards the nevada border. this is echo lake and right now firefighters are using it as a source of water to take up and fight the blazes that we can see here up in the mountainside. one thing that has made this fire very difficult to fight is the fact that so much of the terrain is very rugged. it's very remote. it's out there. also, not all of this territory has seen fire. take a listen to the head of cal fire explain to me how long it's been since some of this area has burned. >> caldor fire is burning in areas that have no fire history that we have over 100 years. two areas that have burned within the last 20 years. all of the above. and we're seeing it burn through

different vegetation types and age classes that we wouldn't necessarily expect fire to spread through. and that is absolutely drought, climate change, dry fuel conditions that we just haven't seen before. >> reporter: the chief also told me that people did heed those evacuation warnings around lake tahoe. which if you haven't been out here, it's a great tourist destination that people come to pretty much near round. during the summer months, they come to enjoy the lakes. and during the winter, they come here to ski. so, this is really crucial to a lot of people. and he says that as of now, they have been able to protect lake tahoe. but still, this caldor fire has been devastating. burning more than 200,000 acres. and more than 500 residences have been lost. near lake tahoe, i'm stephanie elam, cnn. and we'll continue our coverage, in just a moment. stay with us.

my dvt blood clot left me with questions... was another around the corner? or could i have a different game plan? i wanted to help protect myself. my doctor recommended eliquis. eliquis is proven to treat and help prevent another dvt or pe blood clot. almost 98 percent of patients on eliquis didn't experience another. and eliquis has significantly less major bleeding than the standard treatment. eliquis is fda-approved and has both. don't stop eliquis unless your doctor tells you to. eliquis can cause serious and in rare cases fatal bleeding. don't take eliquis if you have an artificial heart valve or abnormal bleeding.

if you had a spinal injection while on eliquis call your doctor right away if you have tingling, numbness, or muscle weakness. while taking eliquis, you may bruise more easily and it may take longer than usual for bleeding to stop. seek immediate medical care for sudden signs of bleeding, like unusual bruising. eliquis may increase your bleeding risk if you take certain medicines. tell your doctor about all planned medical or dental procedures. what's around the corner could be a different game. ask your doctor about eliquis.

i booked our hotel on kayak. it's flexible if we need to cancel. cancel. i haven't left the house in a year. nothing will stop me from vacation. no canceling. flexible cancellation. kayak. search one and done. before treating your chronic migraine, 15 or more headache days a month each lasting 4 hours or more,

you're not the only one with questions about botox®. botox® prevents headaches in adults with chronic migraine before they even start, with about 10 minutes of treatment once every 3 months. so, ask your doctor if botox® is right for you, and if a sample is available. effects of botox® may spread hours to weeks after injection causing serious symptoms. alert your doctor right away, as difficulty swallowing, speaking, breathing, eye problems, or muscle weakness can be signs of a life-threatening condition. side effects may include allergic reactions, neck and injection site pain, fatigue, and headache. don't receive botox® if there's a skin infection. tell your doctor your medical history, muscle or nerve conditions and medications, including botulinum toxins, as these may increase the risk of serious side effects. in a survey, 92% of current users said they wish they'd talked to their doctor and started botox® sooner. plus, right now, you may pay zero dollars for botox®. ask your doctor about botox® today.

an update now on the breaking news in the northeastern united states, governors of new york and new jersey have declared states of emergency because of massive flooding. and this is a flooded intersection in queens, new york. you can see a fire truck preventing vehicles from driving into those dangerous flood waters. the region's been slammed by remnants of hurricane ida. >> the flooding prompted new york city to shut down the subway. the city has banned all non-emergency travel for the next two hours. more than 240,000 homes and businesses across the region are without power. and the massive rapid flooding took many people by surprise. >> but as the rain started to ease, rescue operations began.

here's the commissioner for emergency management in new york city. >> we're seeing a lot of what you're showing on the screen. we're seeing a lot of flooding citywide. we're seeing unfortunately people's basements are being flooded. you know, people are getting stuck in their cars across the city. this came in, you know, fast and furious. and obviously, you know, the city has some difficulty absorbing that much water in a short period of time. and you know, as you're showing now on the screen we're seeing a lot of subway impact. we're lucky that the water is starting to subside. the rain is starting to let up. and we could really start to get ahead of this overnight. we're out rescuing people in the street, out of their cars. we've had a few people we've had to rescue out of basements. you know, unfortunately, this came in so fast that, you know, people -- we try to tell people ahead of time don't drive into flooded areas, but i believe this just happened so quickly that people really didn't anticipate it and got stuck.

so we have the police department, the fire department out there with high-wheeled vehicles really getting in there and getting those people out as fast as they can. >> and meteorologist pedram javaheri joins us once again. pedram, of course the flooding is the biggest concern right now. what do people in the northeast need to know this hour about what they should and shouldn't do? >> another three to four hours, rosemary, if you're across portions of rhode island, connecticut on into massachusetts this includes boston in the next couple of hours, that heavy rainfall is ending up in your back yard in the next couple of hours. and really the amount of rainfall that has been observed as impressive, as remarkable, as unprecedented as it gets for what has occurred here. you see the flood emergencies that were in place. this is a very rare product the national weather service issues, just a couple times per year usually when it has to do with a flooding that requires water rescues and significant threat to life. they had that at one point covering almost a 200-mile stretch of land from portions of pennsylvania into new jersey and

new york state. look at newark. that's the most disrupted airport in the world now. new york's liberty airport with over eight inches coming down in a couple of hours, now has some 300 flights that have already been pre-emptively canceled going into thursday morning. here's what is left of ida as it begins to push offshore over the next couple of hours. and again, by say 8:00, 9:00 a.m. we'll be in the clear with all of this but the damage certainly going to be left in place. and even severe weather to be had. tornado watches across parts of this region, rosemary, until 6:00 in the morning. we've prompted some five tornadoes. keep in mind the states of new jersey, new york into connecticut these states they average two to three tornadoes per year. they're getting this amount here in the overnight hours. so a very dangerous go across the area. rosie? >> most definitely. pedram, thank you so much for keeping such a close eye on that. and you are watching "cnn newsroom." i'm rosemary church. >> i'm john vause. more coverage of the weather emergency in the northeast after a very short break. you're watching cnn.

- [narrator] as you get ready for what's next, custom gear from custom ink can help make the most of these moments. we've developed new tools to make it easy for you. custom ink has hundreds of products to help you feel connected. upload your logo or start your design today at customink.com in 2016, i was working at the amazon warehouse when my brother passed away. and a couple of years later, my mother passed away. after taking care of them, i knew that i really wanted to become a nurse. amazon helped me with training and tuition. today, i'm a medical assistant and i'm studying to become a registered nurse. in filipino: you'll always be in my heart.

(man) i've made progress with my mental health. so when i started having unintentional body movements called tardive dyskinesia... ... i ignored them. but when the movements in my hands and feet started throwing me off at work... i finally had to say, 'it's not ok.' it was time to talk to my doctor about austedo. she said that austedo helps reduce td movements in adults... ...while i continue with most of my mental health medications. (vo) austedo can cause depression, suicidal thoughts, or actions in patients with huntington's disease. pay close attention to and call your doctor if you become depressed, have sudden changes in mood, behaviors, feelings, or have suicidal thoughts. common side effects include inflammation of the nose and throat, insomnia and sleepiness. don't take austedo if you have liver problems, are taking reserpine, tetrabenazine, or valbenazine. austedo may cause irregular or fast heartbeat, restlessness, movements mimicking parkinson's disease, fever, stiff muscles, problems thinking, and sweating. (man) talk to your doctor about austedo... it's time to treat td. td is not ok. visit askforaustedo.com

>> announcer: this is cnn breaking news. and welcome back to cnn's breaking news coverage. from cnn headquarters here in atlanta. i'm rosemary church. >> i'm john vause. two major stories this hour. state of emergency in effect for new york and new jersey as the remnants of hurricane ida brings severe flooding, heavy rain and tornadoes. >> we are also following breaking news from the u.s. supreme court. in a split decision the court refusing to block the strictest abortion law in the country. more from texas in just a moment. but first the latest on what's being called a historic weather event. states of emergency are now in effect in new york and new jersey as the remnants of hurricane id