Ida Leaves Path of Destruction as Tornadoes and Flooding Hit New Jersey, Pennsylvania

As the remnants of Hurricane Ida continue to rampage across the United States, the northeast finds itself reeling as both New Jersey and Pennsylvania face severe flooding and damage from tornadoes brought upon by the storm.

On Monday, Ida was downgraded from a hurricane to a tropical storm after it hit the U.S. mainland. Nonetheless, the storm has wreaked havoc after it brought on flash flooding and produced 16 tornado warnings in the Philadelphia region last night alone.

New Jersey faced similar chaos. A tornado that ripped through Gloucester County, an area of Jersey situated near Philadelphia, damaged roughly 100 homes and left two people hospitalized, NJ.com reported.

The damage and flooding caused by the storm forced a number of public services to shut down. The Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) announced delays and shutdowns as portions of the railway were completely flooded, suspending entire train lines. New Jersey Transit and Amtrak were forced to make similar decisions as portions of their railways were deemed unusable.

The temporary shutdown of public transportation and roads forced school districts to shut their doors. WPVI-TV ABC 6 in Philly reported that 50 districts and individual schools canceled class today with two additional districts in Gloucester County also making the decision.

A number of city schools were able to keep their doors open, instead electing to delay classes or move them online. However, cities were not spared from the storm's impact. Some Philadelphia residents woke up to find their basements entirely flooded. Cars parked on the streets were almost completely submerged. Certain residents in New York and New Jersey woke up to the same scene.

Some of those in Philly who were hit the hardest lived near the Schuylkill River which reached water levels not seen since 1902. The threat of the river's rising levels prompted evacuations in nearby neighborhoods, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported.

Despite the severe threats brought on by the flooding, those who lived in the tornados' territory faced some of the most devastating scenes. Homes in Mullica Hill were ripped to shreds as the entire sides of some homes were peeled away and discarded by the wind. A number of houses barely had their framework left in place as the storm made its closing.

In an address last weekend in wake of the damage inflicted upon Louisiana, President Joe Biden promised the federal government would do everything in its power to support relief efforts.

"We know Hurricane Ida had the potential to cause massive, massive damage, and that's exactly what we saw," Biden said. "The main thing I want to make clear to all of you is we're providing any help that you're going to need."