Floodwaters From Ida's Fury Recede, Climate Change Debate Resumes

Good morning. It’s Saturday, Sept. 4, and the start of a three-day weekend for most of us. Many Americans will spend the Labor Day weekend continuing the laborious task to clean up from the remnants of Ida, which brought record flooding to the Northeast, where some four dozen people are dead.

Quickly, here are a few things to know as you get started on the weekend:

• Begin your weekend with these nine smile-worthy good news stories.
• Stay home this Labor Day weekend if you’re not vaccinated, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advises.
• If you’re staying in, you’ll find ubiquitous 9/11 terror attack documentaries on streaming services and broadcast and cable networks as the 20th anniversary of Sept. 11, 2001, approaches.
• If you’re looking for something lighter, check out what’s new on Netflix this September.

The dramatic photos of historic flooding left behind by a single but massive storm only tell part of the story. At ground zero, it has been a race against time to rescue the people stranded by Ida, which hit the U.S. Gulf Coast as a powerful Category 4 hurricane then marched north to New England with record-setting rains and unthinkable heartache.

Dramatic rescues like one in Westfield, New Jersey, were common. There, three people were saved from the roof of a special education school as a result of floodwaters that poured into the building after the town received between 5 and 8½ inches of rain. Another 16 adults and a child were rescued from submerged cars.

• 3 Rescued From School Roof, via Westfield, New Jersey Patch

Seven tornadoes touched down in the greater Philadelphia area, making the storm one of the most dramatic in regional history, according to the National Weather Service. Wind strength ranged from 90 mph to 130 mph in the five tornadoes that hit southeastern Pennsylvania.

• 7 Tornadoes Spawned Ida Confirmed In Philly Area, via Norristown, Pennsylvania, Patch

Ida underscored with heartbreaking clarity how vulnerable the United States is to extreme weather that climate change is bringing. As families and businesses work to clear the wreckage, the question for officials has quickly become how to make the long-term changes needed to reduce the level of damage in the next Ida-size storm.

"We have to change everything," Mayor Bill de Blasio said Friday. "We're learning about a whole new kind of challenge that's going to need massive — tens of billions of dollars, ultimately hundreds of billions of dollars — in infrastructure investment."

• How Will NYC Prepare For Next Ida-Level Flood, via New York City Patch

In New York City, 11 people in Queens and Brooklyn died in flooded basement apartments as water rushed in and trapped them inside. Police said the youngest victim was 2 years old, reports show. The flooding renewed concern about the safety of basement apartments, which are home to more than 100,000 New Yorkers.

• Locals Debate Basement Apartments After NYC Storm Drownings, via Forest Hills, New York City, Patch
• Regional Transportation Systems Recovering, via Ossining-Croton-On-Hudson, New York, Patch

As the clouds gave way to blue skies Friday, about 4.5 million people in the Northeast were still under flood warnings. Police went door to door to account for those still missing.

President Joe Biden toured Louisiana on Friday, days after Hurricane Ida ravaged the Gulf Coast. Briefing local officials, Biden insisted his infrastructure bill and an even more expansive measure would more effectively prepare the country for the new challenges of climate change.

"It seems to me we can save a whole lot of money, a whole lot of pain for our constituents, if we build back, rebuild it back in a better way," Biden said. "I realize I'm selling as I'm talking."

• ‘We’re Going To Have Your Back’: Biden Visits Louisiana Post-Ida, via Across America Patch
• Police Look For Missing In Wake Of Catastrophic Ida Flooding, via Across America Patch
• Cleanup Continues After Ida Soaks Northeast With Rain, Heartache, via Across America Patch

Bringing Them Home

For several days last week, Fairfield, Connecticut, resident Alex Plitsas found himself averaging about two hours of sleep a night and unable to eat most of the time.

This week, he slept more soundly, knowing that 40 United States citizens, green card holders and Afghan allies — including four children left stranded in Afghanistan in the waning days of a 20-year war — are safe in the United States, thanks to his efforts.

"I was so worried the entire time," said Plitsas, a U.S. Army veteran who became involved in "Digital Dunkirk" — an undertaking by hundreds of national security experts to get as many people as possible out of Kabul after the capital city fell to the Taliban in mid-August.

"For me it was definitely an opportunity for closure," said Plitsas, who received the Bronze Star Medal and the Combat Action Badge for his service in Iraq and who for many years suffered from post-traumatic stress.

• How This Man Helped 40 People Escape Afghanistan, via Fairfield, Connecticut Patch

Handmaid’s Tale With Texas Twist

It was impossible to miss the point when protesters outfitted as the concubines in "A Handmaid's Tale" showed up at Dallas City Hall this week to protest the fetal heartbeat bill that is now the law in the Lone Star State. In a 5-4 ruling this week, the U.S. Supreme Court voted to leave the Texas abortion law intact.

Paramount among the objections of protesters is that the law bans abortion as early as six weeks into a fetus's gestation —a period when many couples and single women may be unaware they're pregnant.

• Abortion Activists Give ‘Handmaid’s Tale’ A Texas Twist, via Dallas Patch

Around ‘The Patch’

• Biden Declassifies 9/11 Investigation Documents, via Across America Patch
• Ex-Prosecutor Indicted For Misconduct In Ahmaud Arbery Death, via Across Georgia Patch
• 3 Men Guided Millions Through Horror Of Sept. 11, 2001, via Across America Patch

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