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New York

ISAIAS’ FAST FURY: City picks up from tropical storm that left 200,000 New Yorkers without power

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Tropical storm Isasias hit New York City, first closing all beaches. (Photo by Todd Maisel)

BY TODD MAISEL, EMILY DAVENPORT AND ROBERT POZARYCKI

It came and went in a hurry — but Tropical Storm Isaias left plenty of reminders of his destructive power across New York City.

Isaias began wreaking havoc on New York City Tuesday morning, closing all beaches, flooding streets, causing trees to collapse and manhole transformers to blow in various boroughs as his heavy wind whipped and rain fell upon the five boroughs.

But the storm blew out of town by late afternoon, letting the sun shine once again on the city. Then the work began to fix the damage left behind.

As of 6 p.m. Tuesday night, Con Edison reported that more than 200,000 customers lost power due to the storm in New York City and Westchester County. A Con Ed spokesperson said the utility company hadn’t suffered that many storm-related outages since Hurricane Sandy back in 2012.

According to Con Edison, the outages affect at least 17,000 customers in the Bronx, 28,000 customers on Staten Island, 15,500 customers in Brooklyn; and 33,000 customers in Queens.

Crews were expected to work around the clock to restore power as quickly as possible. To report a power outage, call 800-75-CONED or visit coned.com.

Across the city, New Yorkers took to Twitter to report downed power lines and trees all over the place. At the height of the storm, firefighters dealt with a major building collapse in Brooklyn that forced several evacuations; no major injuries were reported.

Storm barriers called Tiger Dams, were erected along South Street to protect the downtown financial district from an approaching tropical storm that will bring tides above flood levels. (Photo by Todd Maisel)

Queens saw one storm-related fatality when a deliveryman was killed when his van was crushed by a fallen tree in Briarwood.

The weather started getting rough in the morning on the Rockaway Boardwalk. Though the beaches were closed, there were still a number of surfers who took the risk of enjoying the storm’s serious waves. Yet even that proved too much for some.

Tropical storm Isaias hit New York City, first closing all beaches. (Photo by Todd Maisel)
Tropical storm Isaias hit New York City, first closing all beaches. (Photo by Todd Maisel)

“It’s just too choppy to surf any more,” said one dedicated boarder, carrying his surfboard along the boardwalk.

Tropical storm Isaias hit New York City, first closing all beaches. (Photo by Todd Maisel)

City lifeguards remained on duty, all darning orange raincoats, a few taking refuge under makeshift lean-twos on their lifeguard stands. Some intrepid beachgoers were walking on the beach, one woman commenting, “the wind and the air feel so good.”

Tropical storm Isaias hit New York City, first closing all beaches. (Photo by Todd Maisel)
Tropical Storm Isaias hit New York City, first closing all beaches. (Photo by Todd Maisel)

Another man running on the boardwalk smiled as he ran in the rain. “You must think I’m crazy,” he quipped.

In Brooklyn, several trees were already down on vehicles, one on 2nd Street in Sunset Park – one reported minor injury reported at this time. Officials caution residents to watch for falling trees and branches, especially where large trees are located. Firefighters were also dealing with blown manholes in Williamsburg — several transformers had blown from the water flowing into the mains.

Tropical storm Isaias hit New York City, branches down on Fillmore Avenue in Marine Park took down power lines and damaged a car. (Photo by Todd Maisel)
Tropical storm Isaias hit New York City, branches down on Fillmore Avenue in Marine Park took down power lines and damaged a car. (Photo by Todd Maisel)

Police reports say that parts of the Belt Parkway are already flooded, mostly right lanes where drains are becoming clogged by debris.

There are also fears that the storm might spawn tornadoes later Tuesday, according to the National Weather Service.

Tree down on New York Avenue knocked out power, damaged vehicles. (Photo by Todd Maisel)
Tropical storm Isaias hit New York City, first closing all beaches. (Photo by Todd Maisel)
Tropical storm Isaias hit New York City, first closing all beaches. (Photo by Todd Maisel)
Tropical storm Isaias hit New York City, first closing all beaches, but hold onto your hats. (Photo by Todd Maisel)
A downed tree limb covers a car on 98th Street off Park Lane South in Richmond Hill, Queens, on Aug. 4, 2020. (Photo by Robert Pozarycki)
Cars pass a damaged tree on Park Lane South near 98th Street in Richmond Hill, Queens, on Aug. 4, 2020. (Photo by Robert Pozarycki)
Tropical storm Isasias hit New York City, this tree down on vehicles and power lines in Bay Ridge. (Photo by Todd Maisel)
The windstorm that swept through the city early afternoon damaged a number of street and park trees—
and one of the most beloved of trees, outside of 2 Fifth Ave. (Photo by Tequila Minsky)

 

Many have taken to social media to show the intensity of the storm as well as some of the damage that was done.

Updated at 4:10 p.m.

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