New York City, New York — A powerful nor’easter battered New York City for a second day Sunday, bringing torrential rain, damaging winds and worsening coastal flooding while leaving thousands without power and creating bizarre scenes across waterfront neighborhoods.
The storm had already caused deadly damage Saturday, and conditions remained dangerous as another round of heavy rain and strong winds moved through the region. In Brooklyn, four people, including a 1-year-old boy and a 7-year-old girl, were injured when a tree fell at Kelly Park Playground in Homecrest.
The children and two women were reportedly left with minor injuries despite the tree crashing down around them.
Falling Tree Injures Two Children in Brooklyn
Police said the tree fell at about 5:30 p.m. Saturday, striking a 1-year-old boy, a 7-year-old girl and two women, ages 40 and 41.
The young boy suffered a cut to his cheek, while the 7-year-old girl suffered a broken arm. The 40-year-old woman sustained head and wrist injuries, while the 41-year-old woman suffered a head injury. All four were treated for minor injuries.
The incident came as powerful winds knocked down trees across the city. One of those falling trees killed Leighton Brown, a 56-year-old NYCHA repairman, on Saturday.
The storm’s combination of strong winds, saturated ground and rising water created hazardous conditions across numerous neighborhoods.
Nearly 40,000 New Yorkers Lose Power
The nor’easter also caused widespread power outages.
Nearly 40,000 customers across New York were without electricity Sunday morning, with Suffolk County on Long Island accounting for roughly 19,800 outages.
Rainfall totals were also significant. Howard Beach in Queens recorded 3.16 inches of rain, while many other parts of New York City received at least an inch since Saturday.
The National Weather Service recorded 56-mph wind gusts at JFK Airport, while Midtown Manhattan experienced gusts reaching 47 mph during the two-day storm.
The combination of heavy rainfall, strong winds and coastal flooding made travel and daily activities difficult across the city.
Queens Neighborhoods See Extreme Flooding
Some of the worst conditions were reported in the coastal communities of Queens.
In Far Rockaway and Broad Channel, floodwaters inundated roads and reached homes as the storm coincided with high tide and a full moon.
Off-duty NYPD Officer Matt Langdon, 48, described the flooding outside his Beach 84th Street home.
“I mean, there’s horseshoe crabs all the way here up to Broad Channel Drive,”
Langdon also described the flooding as the worst he had experienced in the area since Hurricane Sandy in 2012. Another local resident said the water inside his home had reached extraordinary levels.
“Our crawl space is flooded up to the joists,” the cop told The Post on Sunday. “At its highest, it was coming up to my thigh, it was 2-and-a-half-feet deep at my house. My kids are stuck in the house.”
The flooding prompted one longtime Far Rockaway resident to compare the storm directly with Sandy.
“I moved here to Far Rockaway when I was 10, and this is the worst it’s been since Sandy.”
Fish and Horseshoe Crabs Appear in Flooded Streets
The flooding produced scenes that looked more like a shoreline than a New York City neighborhood. In Queens, resident Fadela, 40, woke Sunday to find small fish swimming through her driveway.
“Look at the little fish!” said Fadela, 40. “The fish swimming in the driveway, a whole crew of the little ones! Look! This is a first for us.”
Floodwaters also carried horseshoe crabs onto normally dry streets, while garbage cans, space heaters and other debris were swept around by the rising water.
A seagull was even seen diving into flooded streets, apparently attempting to catch fish swimming through the water. The unusual scenes unfolded around Beach 84th Street and Beach Channel Drive as water inundated the coastal area.
High Tide Could Bring More Flooding
Residents remained concerned Sunday that another high tide could push water levels even higher.
Broad Channel resident Bob, 77, initially joked about the unusual conditions before warning that another round of flooding could become more serious.
“Watch out for the sharks!”
He then added:
“If it’s like yesterday, it’s going to get higher.”
Maurizio Cina, a 67-year-old retiree who has lived in Broad Channel for more than 35 years, spent Sunday surveying damage around his properties.
He described the combination of weather factors as an unusually dangerous setup.
“With the nor’easter, the full moon and then the high tide, it’s the trifecta of floods for Broad Channel,” he said. “I haven’t seen it this bad except for [Superstorm] Sandy.”
Missing Swimmer Found Safe
Amid the storm’s dangerous conditions, authorities also searched for a swimmer who appeared to disappear into massive waves near Fire Island.
The unidentified man was reportedly seen jumping into 18-foot waves near Field 3 on Fire Island’s western tip Saturday, prompting concerns for his safety.
However, officials later confirmed that the man was alive and well. According to a joint statement from New York State Police and New York State Park Police:
“The individual was located alive and well, and no further assistance from the public is needed at this time.”
The storm continued producing dangerous conditions Sunday, particularly along New York City’s waterfront communities.
With floodwaters, powerful winds, downed trees and additional high tides all contributing to the threat, residents in vulnerable neighborhoods remained on alert as the nor’easter’s second round battered the region.
Did you experience the nor’easter in New York City or the surrounding area? Share what you saw, how high the water reached and how your neighborhood was affected in the comments.
