1 Dead When Tree Falls On Car As Tropical Storm Isaias Hits New York City
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) - New York City has recorded its first death due to Tropical Storm Isaias.
According to police, a person died when a tree fell on a car at 143rd Street and 84th Drive in the Briarwood section of Queens.
The victim has been identified as 60-year-old Mario Siles.
"They were working on it for a while. They were trying to get him out, but it was a huge tree," one witness said.
"You feel bad. Very, very sad," another witness said.
Cars across the street were damaged.
On 84th and Columbus on the Upper West Side, a waitress setting up tables at Good Enough To Eat restaurant was struck by a large falling branch and went to the hospital.
"The wind had died down, the rain had stopped, and we went out to set tables," restaurant owner Jeremy Wladis said. "Crushed half of our tents and our plants everything else."
The waitress is expected to be OK, CBS2's Alice Gainer reports. The branch caused thousands of dollars in damage.
Outside of the Staten Island ferry, a man was struck by a large piece of debris, and in Brownsville, Brooklyn, a woman was struck in the head by a falling tree branch. She was last reported to be in critical condition .=
Numerous trees were down across the city as torrential rains and high winds descended on the five boroughs.
Another car was crushed by a falling tree at Eastern Parkway and Dean Street in Brooklyn.
The storm brought chaos to the mass transit system.
The rain was pounding so hard, the wind so loud, that when a building in Williamsburg collapsed onto the road – a lot of people didn't hear a thing. Nobody was injured in the collapsed.
The strong winds also took down massive trees and power lines, causing widespread outages.
WATCH: Mayor Bill de Blasio Discusses Tropical Storm Isaias Preparations
In Crown Heights, an uprooted tree landed on top of five cars. One of them belonged to a young mother who just got out of the car with her young children.
As the worst of Tropical Storm Isaias passed Brooklyn, neighbors cautiously ventured onto the corner of Bedford Avenue and North 7th Street – taking pictures of the spectacle.
Ever Martinez of Joe's Pizza was securing his outdoor dining set-up, when he heard people shouting around 12:30 p.m.
"Just came here, they told me what happened outside and I just saw the whole building down, collapsed," he said.
A heap of wood is all that's left of what used to be the second and third floor of a three-story building.
PHOTOS: Tropcial Storm Isaias Leaves Path Of Destruction | Share Your Photos And Videos
The debris didn't hit any people, but it did damage a car.
Ron Sears lives in the building next door.
"I heard a bunch of rustling, but it was very windy anyway. I kind of heard a loud bang and boom. And then at that point my downstairs neighbor came out, started screaming, banging on the door and basically, we just got out," he said.
Firefighters say the building was vacant.
There was nobody inside, so fortunately no injuries.
According to neighbors though, the structure has been dilapidated for years.
"I feel like if someone was walking by, they would have been killed basically," said Rozio Gomez, who works nearby.
"It's been like that for as long as I've been here. So it was bound to come down. I'm surprised it was allowed to stay in that state for so long," Sears said.
WATCH: CBS2's Christina Fan Reports From Williamsburg:
Emergency management officials stationed crews in each of the five boroughs to identify problems and coordinate a quick response.
Unprecedented measures were put in place to protect Lower Manhattan. Above ground, New York City's Office of Emergency Management deployed sandbags and so-called "Tiger Dams," or large water-filled tubes, in the South Street Seaport area. The 4-foot barrier spans nearly a mile long.
De Blasio said Lower Manhattan, between Wall and Water streets, is especially vulnerable to flooding.
TRACKING ISAIAS: Check the latest forecast and weather alerts
"This is really important work that has been done by our agencies, to protect a neighborhood that went through so much with Sandy hit and to show we have all learned some important lessons from that disaster," the mayor said.
"A quick recap. We expect high winds, some tidal flooding, and an increased threat for tornadoes," New York City office of emergency management commissioner Deanne Criswell said.
De Blasio is also urging people to stay away from the beaches. Rip currents were expected.
"Sometimes people think a storm, what a great time to be on the beach, and the dramatic waves. Don't even think about going in the water. The beaches are closed for a reason. It's very dangerous in the water under this kind of condition," he said.
The mayor was in Astoria around 8:30 p.m. checking out storm damage.
One woman told the mayor she's been calling 311 for years over what her family suspected to be rotten trees that came crashing down Tuesday.
"I was right inside. I heard a big boom," she said.
Criswell said as of 8:40 p.m., they had over 13,000 service requests for downed trees or parts of trees across the five boroughs.
"We have officially recorded gusts at JFK and LaGuardia of 70 miles per hour," she said.
MORE: Closer look at New York City's flood protection measures
Stick with CBS2, CBSN New York and CBSNewYork.com for the latest on the storm.
