Clean-Up Continues After Massive Storms Pound Tri-State Area
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- The clean up is under way around the Tri-State area after heavy rain, strong winds and lightning swept through communities from Connecticut to Manhattan on Wednesday.
The powerful storms broke the heat, but left downed trees, power lines and other damage in its wake and knocking out power to thousands of customers.
1010 WINS' John Montone reports
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Thursday, there were still scattered outages being reported throughout the region.
OUTAGES: Con Ed | LIPA | PSE&G | JCP&L | Orange & Rockland | CT Light And Power
A record rainfall of 1.76 inches was set in Central Park during Wednesday's storms, according to the National Weather Service, breaking the old record of 1.59 set in 2007.
Long Island was one of the areas hardest hit. Heavy rain flooded streets and strong winds wreaked havoc on trees and power lines.
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A fisherman suffered a serious leg injury when Glen Cove's historic 1932 gazebo collapsed after being hit by a wind gust.
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Glen Cove Mayor Ralph Suozzi said the gazebo is an important part of the community and will be rebuilt.
"There are people crying here, people talking about their love of the park and the gazebo," he said. "It's just a place that we love, that we come to. It's part of our history, our soul, it's part of our community identity."
Elsewhere, dangerous lightening and thunder pummeled the area.
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Hospitals reported a 15 percent spike in emergency room patients. No one was killed by the storms, but a Kew Gardens woman was struck by lightning and a woman in Laurelton, Wueens was seriously hurt when a tree fell on her car.
In Woodside, flooding submerged several vehicles with water nearly up to the roofs. Drivers were stuck inside until help arrived while other cars were left stranded.
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Flash flooding at subway stations across the city stunned passengers who captured the epic storm with home videos. Straphangers waded through water to get to steps while others arrived to the train to see a downpour over the running cars.
At Penn Station, a walkway to the 1, 2 and 3 trains looked more like an abandoned pool.
But perhaps the most alarming sight for New Yorkers was the quarter sized hail pounding down from the skies, sending people ducking for cover and running through the streets.
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The biggest job across the Tri-State area Thursday may be tree removal. Limbs were left littered on rooftops and strewn across yards and driveways in town after town.
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In New City, a 40 foot tree fell across Duane Avenue knocking out power to the neighborhood for more than three hours.
There was a close call for a family in New Jersey after a falling tree narrowly missed their home. Vivian Suazo, 24, said she was home alone in Sayreville when the fast-moving storm snapped the large tree on her front lawn.
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