De Blasio Says Isaias 'One Of The Most Serious Weather Events Since Hurricane Sandy'
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) - Mayor Bill de Blasio started his daily briefing discussing the aftermath of Tropical Storm Isaias.
"What a powerful storm it was, even though it was only here for a few hours," de Blasio said. "Here's the truth. This is turning out to be one of the most serious weather events since Hurricane Sandy. Highest winds recorded at Kennedy Airport over 70 miles per hour. So an extraordinarily powerful storm. Very brief, but very intense."
The mayor said there have been a "very large number" of downed trees across the city, and mourned the man who died when his car was hit by a tree in Queens. He said another person was seriously injured in Brooklyn.
PHOTO GALLERY: Tropical Storm Isaias Leaves Path Of Destruction In New York And New Jersey
To report damage in your area, click here. To report downed trees, call 311.
WATCH: Mayor Bill de Blasio On Aftermath OF Tropical Storm Isaias
De Blasio said one of the biggest impacts was power outages.
"At the peak, over 130,000 customers had lost power. That number has improved now. But a lot of work is going to be done today, first to clear streets to secure the situation, make sure there's no danger, and then to keep restoring power," the mayor said.
People are reminded to stay away from downed wires, cautioning that they may be live.
Con Edison says they are working to restore power to 199,000 customers across the region, and estimates it will take several days to do. They say more than 7,000 wires are down. The agency says Isaias caused the most power outages since Superstorm Sandy.
Outages in New York City include 47,000 in Queens, 9,500 in Brooklyn, 21,300 in Staten Island, 23,000 in the Bronx. You can check the Con Edison outage map for more information.
The mayor said the city saw less flooding than expected.
He thanked 911 and 311 workers, which a received a "huge" number of calls, including at one point more than 100 calls a minute to both call centers.