Biden Takes In 'Profound' Losses In NJ As Part Of Post Ida Visit

HILLSBOROUGH, NJ — President Joe Biden witnessed firsthand the devastation of Tropical Storm Ida on Somerset County as he set foot in Hillsborough and Manville on Tuesday.

"The losses that we witnessed today are profound. Dozens of lost lives, homes destroyed in Manville including by gas leaks triggered by flooding... damaged infrastructure including the rail system," said Biden during a press conference at Somerset County's Emergency Operation Center in Hillsborough. "My thoughts are with all those families affected by the storm and all those families who lost loved ones."

The catastrophic damage endured by Somerset County and the rest of New Jersey is similar to what Biden said he is seeing across the country and what he believes is linked to global warming.

"Every part of the country is getting hit by extreme weather," said Biden. "It is not just to get back to normal but to get back to a place where the damage would be considerably less... This is an opportunity. I think the country has finally acknowledged the fact that global warming is real and it is moving at an incredible pace. We got to do something about it."

Somerset County alone has dealt with four major storms in the 100-year storm in just over two decades, said Somerset County Commissioner Director Shanel Robinson.

"It's only going to get worse," said Robinson. "This historic storm has hit us particularly hard."

During the night of the storm on Sept. 1, Somerset County first responders fielded 13,000 calls, of those 5,000 were 911 calls. The county also reported 520 air and water rescues from vehicles or homes, 170 fire alarms, 8 explosions, and countless automobile accidents and injuries, according to Robinson.

Included in those calls were explosions to homes in Somerville and Manville and an explosion to a restaurant in Manville.

As of Tuesday, the death toll in Somerset County is five and 26 overall in New Jersey. There are also four missing New Jersey residents. In Somerset County, two deaths were reported in Hillsborough and three in Bridgewater.

In New Jersey, flooding occurred in 10 of 21 counties that normally are not flood-prone. The state also experienced an EF3 tornado that touched down in Harrison Township and continued on a 13-mile path, said New Jersey Police Superintendent Pat Callahan.

"That all happened in a period of 9 or 10 hours. We got almost three months of rain in five hours. It is just unprecedented," said Callahan.

Rivers in New Jersey exceeded flooding levels and even as of Tuesday the Passaic River was still not expected to fall below flood stage until Wednesday, said Callahan.

During the storm, state officers conducted 543 rescues and there more than 3,500 rescues reported on local levels. The state is still conducting search operations for four missing people.

Callahan concurred with Biden on taking action against future storm events.

"Resiliency doesn't mean bounding back. Resiliency means bounding forward because these storms will keep coming back," said Callahan.

As of Sunday, Biden declared that a major disaster exists in Bergen, Gloucester, Hunterdon, Middlesex, Passaic and Somerset Counties due to the unprecedented damage and flooding from Hurricane Ida. Read More: President Biden Declares NJ A Major Disaster Area: What It Means

FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell noted federal officers were assessing other counties on Tuesday to add them to the growing list of counties considered a major disaster.

• Read More: Former Rhythms Nightclub Explodes In Somerset County: Video
• Read More: 1 House Explodes, 1 Still On Fire In 8 Feet Of Water In Manville

Video courtesy of Jersey Shore Fire Response:

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