Holding Back the Floodwaters

Homeowners who faced flooded basements after Hurricane Ida are pondering how to deal with the possibility of fiercer and more frequent storms.

Opinion | Let Water Go Where It Wants to Go

Hurricane Ida ravaged places that were once stream beds and wetlands.

New York Pledges $27 Million to Help Undocumented Immigrants Hit by Ida

“I almost died,” said one Queens resident who forced her way out of a basement apartment. Now she is eligible for help.

11 Deaths Put Focus on N.Y.C.’s Failure to Make Basement Apartments Safe

Even before a deadly storm, a pilot program was supposed to lead the way toward legalizing tens of thousands of dangerous basement units.

They Put Everything Into Their Homes. Not One Was Spared in the Flood.

The record rainfall from Hurricane Ida appeared to damage every home on one block in Queens, where some families had lived for decades.

How the Storm Turned Basement Apartments Into Death Traps

At least 11 people were found dead in basements after torrential rains flooded New York City — nearly as many as those killed by Hurricane Ida in Louisiana, where the storm made landfall.

43 Die as Deadliest Storm Since Sandy Devastates the Northeast

A huge volume of rain overwhelmed the region’s infrastructure, showing the lethal impact of climate change.

Trapped in Basements and Cars, They Lost Their Lives in Savage Storm

The storm’s victims included at least 15 people in New York State and 23 in New Jersey. Some died as waters inundated their basement homes.

New Yorkers tried to save neighbors from Ida’s floods. Sometimes they couldn’t.

“It’s so hard when someone asks for help and you can’t help them,” said a woman who listened as a man’s screams for help from a basement bedroom suddenly stopped.

The storm’s toll highlighted New York City’s shadow world of basement apartments.

There are tens of thousands of basement apartments in New York City, most of which are illegal and flout safety regulations.