Brooklyn Storm Creates Havoc

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STATEN ISLANDS (GaeaTimes.com)- A powerful tornado struck Brooklyn, Queens and Manhattan on Thursday evening. The National Weather Service issued a warning to the residents in the area at around 5:30pm. The NWS reported that the storm touched down at Staten Islands and caused extensive damage in the area. Wind speeds up to 70mph were felt in the area and several trees were uprooted.

The authorities in the Brooklyn area warned the public to stay indoors and preferably stay in their basements during the storm, which many feel was a tornado. Residents of the area were asked to stay in the lowest floor of their houses during the storm, in case there was no option of basement. People in vehicles were asked to take the closest possible shelters and stay out of their cars till the storm subsided.

The firefighters in the area responded to a number of cases where passengers were stuck in their cars due to trees falling on them. Rail Road service from Manhattan and Brooklyn were also suspended due to trees falling on the tracks due to the storm. The New York City Subway suffered several delays and cancellations due to the line being suspended for several hours. As many as 570 homes in the Brooklyn area alone reported power outage after the storm. There are also reports that a roof of a building was blown off from a building in Brooklyn during the tornado. There are reports of a death in the Grand Central Parkway where a man was in the car as the tree fell on it. The storm lasted for around half hour but the damage caused was quite severe. As more and more damages are being reported around the area, more reports on the deaths and the injuries are expected to trickle in with time.