Spring Storm: Man Struck By Lightning, Subway Stairs Become Waterfall, Flooding Reported Across New York
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) - Monday morning's storm brought numerous reports of flooding and damage across New York.
A flash flood warning was in effect in New York City until 2:15 p.m. Click here to check the forecast and weather alerts.
A 48-year-old man in Bay Shore was struck by lightning at around 10:15 a.m., authorities said. The man was an employee of the Roman Stone Construction Company and was alert and talking when emergency personnel arrived. He was taken to a Southside Hospital.
Video posted on social media showed the subway stairs at the 145th Street and Broadway subway station turned into a waterfall. It happened at around 9:20 a.m.
The water could be seen rushing down the stairs, spilling onto the landing, and ultimately on to the tracks, CBS2's Scott Rapoport reported.
"That is a waterfall. That is crazy," one commuter told Rapoport.
An MTA worker told Rapoport a clogged sewer drain might've been the cause.
"I thought we shouldn't have a waterfall in the 145th Street subway station," said Carla Shedd.
MTA workers with brooms brushed excess water off the platform and onto the tracks. Northbound trains there had to be temporarily diverted.
The Bryant Park subway station had to be closed for a short time due to flooding and dripping from the ceiling.
The 66th Street Central Park Transverse experienced significant flooding, forcing it to close. Click here to check current traffic conditions.
It was slow going on the West Side Highway: Flooding made traffic a mess at the southbound 96th Street exit.
In the Bronx, the facade of a house that was under construction collapsed on Kennellworth Place due to high winds. There were no injuries in that incident.
In Mount Vernon, a tree fell on a house on Nuber Avenue at around 7:15 a.m., trapping 14-year-old boy Ian Sharps in his bedroom.
"I know that I heard a rumble, and then my bed started shaking, and then the next thing I know, I wake up and I start to panic," he told CBS2's Elise Finch. "I was afraid that it was going to collapse on me. When I came down, a piece of debris hit me in the head."
His mother Paige had been on a morning prayer call with her friend and saw the tree fall.
"I heard this loud, like, 'pop' but almost, I thought like, maybe a grill was flying around in the yard. So I looked out the window in the second floor and I saw the roots coming up from the tree. And I just said 'Oh my God,' and literally, in slow motion, it just came and then crashed."
Ian's father told CBS2 he heard crashing and saw glass flying everywhere and then heard his son calling for help.
"My son was on the third floor, and he was just screaming 'Daddy, daddy, I can't get out, I can't get out.' He was trapped. The tree fell inside his room," he said.
The teen was rescued by firefighters and wasn't injured, but the house suffered massive damage: The tree pierced the roof in several places. The home is currently uninhabitable, and the family will have to temporarily relocate.
