81
A jogger passes water-filled rubber barricades protecting the South Street Seaport from flooding, Tuesday, Aug. 4, 2020, in New York. Heavy rains are falling as Tropical Storm Isaias roars north on the Atlantic Coast, leaving behind power outages and reports of tornadoes. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan)
NEW YORK >> Tropical Storm Isaias halted commuter trains, closed bridges and sent thousands of tree limbs crashing down today as it barreled through New York City, leaving more than 2.5 million customers in the tristate area without power.
The fast-moving storm claimed at least one life in New York. A man in his 60s was sitting in a van in Briarwood section of Queens when a massive Pin Oak came down on top of it around 1 p.m., police said.
By evening, nearly 900,000 homes and businesses in the state were without power, including more than 130,000 in the city and 368,000 on Long Island, utility companies reported. The city’s power utility, Con Edison, said it had more outages than from any prior storm except Superstorm Sandy in 2012. Meteorologists clocked wind gusts as strong as 71 mph in the city and 78 mph on Long Island.
“Unless you absolutely, positively have to be outside, stay inside,” Mayor Bill de Blasio told radio station 1010 WINS. “It’s not a good time to be walking outside. It’s not a good time to be driving outside, if you can avoid it.”
De Blasio said almost 2,000 trees in the city were downed or damaged.
Service was suspended on the Staten Island Ferry for several hours and temporary barriers were set up to protect Wall Street and the famed South Street Seaport from flooding. The storm’s center was about 23 miles west of Albany at 11 a.m. Hawaii time.
It passed about 60 miles west of New York City near the Pennsylvania-New Jersey at 8 a.m. Hawaii time.
Outdoor subway service was stopped because of high winds and debris on tracks. All three commuter train services into and out of Manhattan — New Jersey Transit, Metro-North and the Long Island Rail Road — suspended operations.
Roadways, including the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge linking Staten Island and Brooklyn, were closed for several hours.
A flash flood warning was posted for part of the northern Catskill Mountains, where more than four inches of rain had fallen by evening in some sections. A tornado watch that included the Hudson Valley from Poughkeepsie to Glens Falls expired by the evening.
By participating in online discussions you acknowledge that you have agreed to the Terms of Service. An insightful discussion of ideas and viewpoints is encouraged, but comments must be civil and in good taste, with no personal attacks. If your comments are inappropriate, you may be banned from posting. Report comments if you believe they do not follow our guidelines.
Having trouble with comments? Learn more here.