Death toll climbs to 41 across four US north-east states after passage of Hurricane Ida

US President Joe Biden says “historic investment” is needed to deal with the climate crisis, as the north-east reels from flash flooding and tornadoes that have killed at least 41 people.

The US is facing climate-related destruction across the country and tackling it is “a matter of life and death”, the president said.

New York City and New Jersey saw unprecedented levels of rainfall.

Some residents became trapped in flooded basements and cars.

In New Jersey, a tornado flattened the state’s largest dairy farm, ripping roofs of buildings and toppling several large silos.

Many of New York City’s subway lines remain closed after social media pictures showed water gushing into the underground stations.

Other footage showed cars floating down flooded roads, with cries of “help” being heard from inside.

Passengers on trains, planes and buses found themselves stuck for hours without moving as the flooding made travelling impossible.

The president will visit Louisiana on Friday to assess what is being done to help the state, which became the first to face Hurricane Ida when it made landfall on Sunday. More than 900,000 homes remain without power in the state