EXTREME WEATHER
He Was Swept Down a Sewer Pipe: ‘I Just Let the Water Take Me’
Devastation from Hurricane Ida’s remnants stretched deep into New Jersey, forcing residents and officials to address “a new reality.”
TRACEY TULLY / NEW YORK TIMES – Kevin Rivera owes his life to a man he will never meet.
Mr. Rivera, 18, was leaving his part-time job at a Chick-fil-A in New Jersey as the remnants of Hurricane Ida pummeled the region. Surrounded by waist-deep water, he searched for a sidewalk.
Instead, he was pulled into a ravine and through a narrow sewer pipe in South Plainfield, N.J.
“I couldn’t comprehend where I was, or where I was going,” said Mr. Rivera, who shielded his head and tore off the raincoat that was choking him. “All I felt was concrete. When I realized I was in a tunnel, I just let the water take me” …
