A powerful nor’easter battered New York City and the surrounding region Saturday with torrential rain and punishing winds, killing a Brooklyn man after a falling tree struck him.
Police said the 56-year-old sustained “trauma throughout his body” when gusts reaching 45 mph brought down the tree on Euclid Avenue in East New York at about 3:30 p.m.
Follow live updates on the powerful nor’easter set to bring dangerous winds, flooding to the East Coast
The unidentified victim was taken to Brookdale Hospital, where he was pronounced dead shortly after 5 p.m.
After moving into the metropolitan area late Friday, the storm was forecast to unleash as much as 8 inches of rain before heading offshore Monday.
Rain and damaging winds were expected to arrive in bursts, separated by brief periods of calmer weather. Gusts could reach 80 mph in parts of the Northeast.
“Mark my words, much more is coming,” Gov. Kathy Hochul warned during a news conference Saturday morning.
Hochul issued emergency declarations for New York City, Westchester County and Long Island.
“With tonight’s full moon the tides may even be higher. We expect waves of 20 feet in some areas,” Hochul said.
Flooding hit waterfront communities in Queens, Staten Island, Long Island and along the Jersey Shore as heavy rain arrived alongside elevated tides.
Queens endured some of the storm’s most dramatic scenes. Kayakers navigated flooded streets in Howard Beach, while an Uber driver bailed water from a submerged vehicle on Almeda Avenue in Far Rockaway.
Two police officers were hurt on the Jackie Robinson Parkway in Glendale after high winds toppled a tree and a light pole. While the officers waited for utility workers, a Nissan SUV crashed into their stationary patrol vehicle. Both officers were hospitalized in stable condition, and the SUV’s 60-year-old driver was treated at the scene.
Fallen trees and downed power lines knocked out electricity for at least 100,000 homes and businesses along the Atlantic Coast. As of 7 a.m. Saturday, nearly 30,000 New Jersey customers and about 20,000 in New York remained without power. New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill declared emergencies in eight counties.
The nor’easter also disrupted the weekend entertainment calendar. The Global Citizens Festival at Central Park, expected to attract 60,000 attendees, was canceled, as was the All Things Go Festival at Forest Hills Stadium in Queens. Ed Sheeran also called off his weekend shows in Foxborough, Massachusetts.
Flooding and downed wires forced diversions on several Queens bus routes. Subway service remained on schedule, but the Long Island Rail Road suspended service on its Port Jefferson and Long Branch branches Saturday morning after trees fell across the tracks.
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Barrier islands off Long Island and New Jersey faced some of the storm’s harshest conditions Saturday.
In Surf City on New Jersey’s Long Beach Island, Andy Carreno waded through knee-deep water while carrying a young family member. Nearby, marina owner Kenny Formica said the storm swept away boats despite crews securing the dock lines the previous day.
“This is like an 8,000-pound boat and, you know, a $150,000 boat — just gone,” Formica said. He added that he had not witnessed flooding this severe since Superstorm Sandy devastated the area in 2012.
New York City Emergency Management officials urged residents living in basement apartments to move to higher floors as floodwaters rose.
Despite warnings to stay away, some adventurous beachgoers headed to Rockaway Beach, where they rode waves reaching as high as 10 feet.
Preston Head, 35, came all the way from Laguna Beach, Calif., to shred the gnar out in Rockaway during the storm. Sadly, the aggressive Atlantic Ocean waves busted his board.
“The ocean can be cruel. Today it is very violent,” Head told The Post. “I had some of the best barrels that I’ve ever experienced in my life.”
Bobby Gonzalez, a local boogie boarder, had to give up.
“It wasn’t working for me today. The waves were just smashing me in the face,” Gonzalez said, adding, “It was exhausting just trying to get out there.”
Forecasters predicted 4-6 inches of rain for New York City, and 6-8 inches for parts of the Jersey Shore and eastern Long Island, before the rain tapers off Monday afternoon.
“In addition to the rain, significant coastal hazards will persist along the East Coast as the strong northeast winds coincide with high astronomical tides into early next week,” Senior AccuWeather Meteorologist Mike Doll told The Post.
“Due to the prolonged nature of the northeasterly winds, water levels from coastal flooding may be the highest for some locations in several years. Severe beach erosion has already occurred in some areas and will continue to be a problem through the weekend,” Doll said.
But the problems are not limited to beaches.
“Trees are still full of leaves and the ground is saturated from recent heavy rain. This can lead to downed trees. Power lines may also come down, leading to power outages that could last into early next week for some communities,” Doll said.
Relief comes Tuesday.
“Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday look nicer. High temperatures for most places in the Tri-State area will be in the low to middle 70s with nighttime temperatures dipping into the 50s to lower 60s. Sun and clouds all three days,” Doll said.
Additional reporting by Tina Moore, Nicholas McEntyre, Thomas Gamba-Ellis, Kaydi Pelletier, Nadine Bourne and Mary Connelly.
