Storm Watch: Winds Take Down Trees, Cut Power All Over Tri-State Area
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- A powerful storm, featuring drenching rain and damaging winds, pummeled the Tri-State Area on Monday.
A high wind warning expired at 6 p.m., and gusts were expected reach 60 to 70 mph.
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The wild spring storm left a mess in some parts of the area. The howling winds caused plenty of problems.
CBS2 received several reports of trees down in Astoria, Queens, Mineola on Long Island and Cortland Manor in Westchester County.
One crushed a swing set in Cedar Grove.
Another toppled into an intersection in Tenafly.
A tree was uprooted Oradell. In Westwood, another came crashing down on to power lines. A chunk of roof was knocked won in Montvale by falling debris.
Another tree fell onto a house on Cedar Street in Cresskill, N.J.
Conrad Pinto said he and his wife are lucky to be alive after a tree smashed through his roof.
"We were laying in the bed when it came down. Thank God we got out in time," he told CBS2's Kevin Rincon.
Pinto said his wife suffered some minor injuries. His neighbor said she heard the sound and was worried the same thing could happen to them.
"Our house could be next. We have a tree we were considering taking down," the neighbor said.
Utility crews stayed busy trying to keep the lights on.
In Cortlandt Manor, N.Y., Erik Creighton watched as a tree took out his power lines.
"A big old tree came down during a gust," he said. "There was a little electrical noise, and then there was a boom of the tree hitting the ground."
New York City wasn't spared. A tree slammed into a row of cars in East Harlem, while scaffolding was ripped down in the Bronx.
The severe weather prompted coronavirus testing sites to close for the day throughout the Tri-State Area. Appointments will be rescheduled.
Power outages popped up all over.
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Over in Rockland County, power was out for hours, CBS2's Alice Gainer reported.
Gary Cirlin took it upon himself to help out his neighbors, many of whom are healthcare workers. His family set up a contactless charging station in the garage.
"Our first thought was these people have to go to work today. What can we do to help them?" Cirlin said.
And as it is often said, after the storm comes the rainbow.
Hoboken Councilman Mike Defusco captured it in a tweet as the sky cleared in time for the nightly cheer for healthcare workers, those who are still in the eye of the storm.
