Tri-State Area Cleaning Up Damage Left Behind By Powerful Winds

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- The Tri-State area is cleaning up Tuesday from powerful winds that downed trees and power lines and damaged homes.

On Long Island, the gusts were so strong it took PSEG trucks to support utility poles after some of them nearly snapped in half from the force of the wind in Massapequa Park.

The power lines run parallel to Long Island Rail Road tracks and forced service to come to a halt for much of Monday night out of an abundance of caution.

"It was an unsafe condition until we could get the trucks in here to stabilize the poles," said PSEG Director of Communications Jeffrey Weir.

"It took me almost three hours to get home last night," Andrea, of Massapequa, said. "So last night was a tough commute."

The heavy winds also caused problems for Metro-North riders when a tree fell onto the tracks in Hawthorne. It was enough to send the wheels of the lead car off the rails, shutting the Harlem line down around noon and stranding passengers on board for about an hour.

"We transferred 212 customers to the new train, no injuries," said Metro-North police Lt. Joseph Esposito.

Service on both the LIRR and Metro-North has since been restored, but others are still trying to recover from the damage the winds left behind.

In New Rochelle, a falling branch pierced the car of a woman who was driving, barely missing her.

In Glen Cove, a massive tree fell right into a home, flattening the living room and master bedroom where the homeowner had been sleeping moments before.