Tree falls on Brooklyn home as steady rain soaks Tri-State Area
NEW YORK -- Steady rain Saturday caused problems throughout the Tri-State Area, including in Brooklyn, where a tree fell on a home.
The roots of the tree were exposed, and its body was draped across the sidewalk and the East Seventh Street in the Kensington section.
- First Alert Forecast: Red Alert issued for heavier rain, strong winds
"It's propped up by my neighbor's roof, and these two branches are stuck into the ground pretty deep," homeowner Ramon Sanchez said.
It also broke the neighbor's mailbox and shattered the rear passenger window of the car that was sitting in the driveway.
"Luckily, no one got hurt," Sanchez said.
Families were home at the time, hearing the scary sounds of the tree crashing down.
"We were inside we heard a loud, thunderous boom, and I thought it was strange and I just assumed it was thunder or something," homeowner Sanchez said.
"I thought I heard thunder because it had been raining for a long time, and then I looked at the tree slowly falling and then I thought it was a tree that had collapsed on the neighbor's roof," a young neighbor named Cosmo said.
It was a frightening sight, especially when there was no way of stopping it.
Neighbors say just last year, the city cut down a tree from across the street.
"Usually, city cut few trees here," Kensington resident Elias Shammas said.
Residents say firemen cleared some of the branches that were blocking two front doors, but for now, they're using their rear entrances, just to be on the safe side. They have no idea when the city will be removing the downed tree.
The rain has caused problems in other parts of the Tri-State Area, as well.
In Newark, New Jersey, police used their vehicle to man a flooded roadway, where sedans got stuck in place and a semi eased its way through a flooded intersection.
Meanwhile in Central Park, a daily record for April 29 was set with 2.4 inches of rain.