Queens was spared the worst of the punishing nor’easter that drenched New York and New Jersey last weekend, but the borough was not left unscathed.
More than 173,000 Con Edison customers lost power throughout the city and its suburbs, far more than the 110,515 who lost power during Hurricane Gloria in 1985. By Tuesday morning, 59,000 customers still had no power — 50,000 of them in Westchester County. Only 500 Queens homes were blacked out by Tuesday.
Several trees in Woodhaven toppled in the storm, which brought winds of up to 75 mph.
One, at 84-25 86th St., fell across the street, crushing two cars and landing in a home’s front yard. Another tree plummeted to the ground at 85-08 90th St., pulling down half a block of telephone poles with it.
Residents of West Hamilton Beach, an area of Howard Beach that often struggles with flooding because of its low elevation and proximity to Jamaica Bay, were especially hard hit.
Jonah Cohen, chief of the West Hamilton Beach Volunteer Fire Department, said his organization responded to two dozen storm-related calls over the weekend, including trees down, sparking power lines and a particularly strong tide that flooded several basements.
“I think this is one of the worst we’ve had in a long time, since the hurricanes of many years ago,” he said, though he noted the department did not have to rescue anyone. “Most people were able to get out and most of the damage was wind-related.”
— Jeremy Walsh
