Forum Photos by Michael V. Cusenza and National Weather Service
The powerful storm’s wind tore apart several trees in Forest Park.
By Michael V. Cusenza
Steady rain and whipping winds soaked and slammed the City earlier this week as a nor’easter left flooded basements, maimed trees, and treacherous travel conditions in its wake.
Coastal southern communities bore the brunt of the storm in Queens. Consistent downpours, sustained winds of 30 miles per hour to 40 miles per hour and gusts well over 50 miles per hour battered the World’s Borough on Monday and Tuesday.
Hours of steady rainfall on Monday and Tuesday left many basements, like this one in Howard Beach, flooded.
“Those gusts cause us real concern because that’s the kind of situation where you could see some downed power lines and some other things that might disrupt the energy supply,” Mayor Bill de Blasio said.
The National Weather Service issued several “warnings” and “watches” prior to and during the nor’easter, including a High Wind Warning from 1 a.m. Monday through 1 a.m. Tuesday, and a Flood Watch for NYC from 1 p.m. Monday through 5 a.m. Tuesday.
The NWS also issued a Coastal Flood Advisory from 3 p.m. through 8 p.m. Monday for along the southern shores of Queens, and areas near the coastline in Brooklyn and Manhattan.
A Coastal Flood Advisory was issued from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. Monday along the northern shores of Queens and areas near the coastline in The Bronx.
The City Office of Emergency Management noted that during a Coastal Flood Advisory, minor flooding of the most vulnerable shore roads and/or properties is possible. During a Coastal Flood Warning, widespread moderate flooding is expected, resulting in beach erosion and flooding of vulnerable shore roads and/or properties.
The National Weather Service’s radar on Monday afternoon showed all five boroughs getting hit hard.
Flooding has been major problem for decades for many borough neighborhoods. Coincidentally, on Tuesday evening, de Blasio announced that his Fiscal Year 2018 Budget calls for investments in “crucial infrastructure upgrades,” including street regrading projects in southeast Queens to address flooding issues – an additional $162 million in capital funds from FY 2019-FY 2024.
