At least 22 people died in New York and New Jersey in flash flooding, including a boy who may have been as young as 14-months old.
Ang Lobsan, his father Ang Lama,50, and mother Mingma Sherpa, 48, died when rising flood waters filled their basement home in Queens, reports the New York Daily News.
The little boy’s teacher burst into tears when she heard the news.
“The baby was so cute,” said teacher Martha Suarez who taught the boy at home every day. “Just a happy boy, very nice family … They didn’t call me, they didn’t cancel me, so I was coming as usual.”
Suarez says the family was originally from Nepal.
The Daily News reported the boy’s age as 14-month old, but most other news reports listed him as 2.
According to the New York Times, the flash flood waters from remnants of Hurricane Ida began pouring into their apartment at 9:30 Wednesday night.
“The water is coming in right now… The water coming in from the window!’ Sherpa purportedly yelled on the phone to a third floor neighbor, Choi Sledge.
When Choi tried to call back later, there was no answer.
Deborah Torres lived directly above the family and said the cascading water rushed down the stairwell and made it impossible to get out.
“The owner said, ‘Get out! Get out from the basement!’ And when she called again they never picked up,” Torres said to the Daily News.
In nearby Corona, search and rescue crews found Deborah Hsu, 48, unconscious in the basement of an apartment building.
The Daily News reported that Hsu had been visiting the building superintendent in his basement apartment. The rushing waters blew out his window and the waters rushed in- slamming the door and trapping her.
“She was a very loving, caring person,” said her ex-husband Dennis Tsu. “She loved the beach. She loved swimming, she loved the outdoors.”
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Are you guys allowed to live in basement.