Gusty winds uproot trees on Staten Island
NEW YORK -- While New York City didn't bear the brunt of Tuesday's storm, the high winds took down trees and caused some power outages across the five boroughs.
CBS New York's Shosh Bedrosian checked out the damage in the Great Kills neighborhood of Staten Island.
She found a tree that toppled onto a home on Leverett Avenue, almost completely uprooted from the sidewalk. It landed on the front of the house, where it appear to have only damaged the gutter.
Neighbors said the wind gusts were extreme when the large tree fell around 9:30 p.m. Tuesday.
By daybreak, the Parks Department sent a crew to remove it branch by branch.
The homeowner told Bedrosian she was relieved to see them when she woke up.
"I heard a noise, but with what goes on on this street, I never thought to look. And of all the trees on the street, why this one?" she said. "What can you do? It's the way of the world. This time, I was unlucky it was me."
Con Ed crews a few miles away on Collfield Avenue were working to restore power.
"I was in bed. My son and wife heard a thump and the two trees came down," Gerald Herr said.
Herr said two trees fell down outside his home at around midnight. One of them landed on wires, knocking out electricity for about 12 hour, and the other caused minor damage to his home and vehicle.
"The wires pulled down a metal pipe right there and it hit my car," Herr said.
Crews said the saturated ground and strong wind gusts contributed to the tree coming down.
Watch MTA president on storm impact
The MTA says Metro-North's Danbury Line will be impacted Wednesday, but the system was largely spared.
"By and large, the subway system, buses, Long Island Rail Road all running at or close to scheduled, so good news, I think, for our customers," MTA President Richard Davey told CBS New York.
The storm did cause problems for the New York City Ferry, as service remains suspended Wednesday on the Rockaway route due to high winds.
The Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island both closed early Tuesday and planned to open late Wednesday.
Stick with our First Alert Weather team for the latest forecast and coverage of the cleanup.
