NJ honors dead, missing from remnants of Ida

State and U.S. flags will fly at half-staff through Friday on all state buildings through Friday to honor those killed by the remnants of Ida.

In his executive order, Gov. Phil Murphy said, "It is with immense sadness that we mourn the loss of all those who perished, and those who remain missing."

As of Thursday, the death toll stands at 27, but four people remain missing. That includes two young people in Passaic. Witnesses say they saw Nidhi Rana, 18, and Ayush Rana, 21, get swept away by flash flooding. They may have been carried toward a culvert that dumps a local creek into the Passaic River.

Cadaver dogs have been brought in to aid the search, and NorthJersey.com reported the dogs got a hit in an area near the culvert, but nothing was found.

An 83-year-old man found floating in flood waters in Union Township has been identified as Rudy Pacis. Police say Pacis had been trapped in his car as flood waters rose. When he attempted to get out of his car, he drowned and the currents carried his body away.

Police in Bloomfield now say a local resident was likely electrocuted as he tried to hook up a generator at his home. When officers found 58-year-old Aventino Soares, he had an electrical cord in his hand.

Both men are among the dead in New Jersey from Ida. The state has logged the highest death toll of any state impacted by Ida. More even than Louisiana, where the Ida made landfall as a Category 4 hurricane.

It is with immense sadness that we mourn the loss of all those who perished, and those who remain missing, in the wake of this historic storm. We vow to honor and remember each one of them as part of our New Jersey Family. - Governor Phil Murphy

The loss of life has some criticizing Murphy for waiting too long to declare a state of emergency.

Murphy issued the declaration after 10 p.m. last Wednesday after flood waters were already swamping many parts of the state and a series of tornadoes had already touched down. Murphy has claimed he gave people ample warning during the day to take the storm seriously.