Powerful Fast-Moving Storms Leave Tens Of Thousands Without Power Across Long Island
COMMACK, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) -- Nearly 35,000 people were still in the dark on Sunday night across parts of Long Island, after strong storms knocked out power, brought down trees, and triggered flash flooding.
It all happened at around 2:45 p.m. -- pellets of hail, wind gusts of up to 50 mph and many people caught out in the pouring rain, CBS2's Lisa Rozner reported. There were also intense waves. Police said a woman drowned during the storm out on Fire Island.
Vehicles on the road were caught in flash flooding in Northport , an intersection looking more like a river.
Tree after tree were seen on top of homes. In one case, a utility pole even fell onto a vehicle.
"I heard a loud bang. It was like a boom. Everyone was saying it's a tornado, but I don't think it was," one Commack resident said.
"We've been here 55 years and we've never seen a storm this way," resident Rochelle Masters added.
Masters and her husband, Lou, were sitting in the backyard of their home when, "It got real dark," Lou said, "and then we heard thunder. Then I just about got into the house and then it just came down like crazy. I mean, it was pouring. The water was intense."
The visibility was so poor, the Masters said they couldn't even see across the street. One man saw another large tree fall on his neighbor's car.
"About 15 minutes of mega-winds. It was outrageous," the resident said. "As soon as the storm started about one minute into the storm all the electric went out."
"I have a generator. I've never used it before, so now I've started it up. It's running, just periodically. That, and candles," another resident said.
CBS2 has learned wind gusts were at least 50 mph. That last resident told Rozner PSEG told him not to expect power until Monday afternoon.
