Confirm Tornado in Brooklyn
Publicado - Published: 08/08/2007
NEW YORK.- It was a Tornado F-2. The National Weather Service confirmed that the storm brought with it Brooklyn's first ever tornado since such weather events were recorded. Officials measured it to be an EF2 twister, characterized by winds of anywhere from 111 to 135 miles per hour.
A tornado warning had been issued in Brooklyn from 4 a.m. to 6 a.m., and during that time a severe thunderstorm blew through the region, making for an incredible headache for morning commuters. Thousands of New Yorkers found themselves enduring hours of delays in the sweltering heat with subways shut down and vacant taxi cabs hard to come by.
A woman on Staten Island died in a car accident which officials say was a result of the horrible driving conditions. In Brooklyn, amazingly, only scattered minor injuries were reported.
Source: http://www.desastres.org/noticias.php?id=08082007-62
BOLDS ADDED FOR EMPHASIS: BLOGMASTER.
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Brooklyn Storm Is Declared a Tornado
The National Weather Service confirmed at 5:12 p.m. that a tornado touched down in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn this morning. The tornado was classified as a 2 on the Enhanced Fujita scale, which goes from 0 to 5. An EF2 tornado consists of winds of 111 to 135 miles per hour.
The weather service said in a statement:
The tornado path was discontinuous and started in Bay Ridge sometime just after 6:30 a.m. today on Bay Ridge Avenue, between Third and Fourth Avenues, and continued on an east-northeast path across 68th Street between Third and Fourth Avenues. Eleven homes in this section had moderate to severe roof damage. The storm continued to move east-northeast into Leif Ericson Park Square, where severe damage to trees occurred. As the tornado lifted, it tore off the roof of the Nissan car dealership at the corner of 66th Street and Fifth Avenue. The tornado returned to the ground father northeast, with scattered tree damage along Sixth Avenue. Based on the assessed damage, this tornado is classified as an EF-2 tornado with estimated wind speeds of 111 to 135 m.p.h.
The tornado returned to the ground as another pocket of significant damage occurred on 58th Street between Fifth and Sixth Avenues. The roof was ripped off of five homes, and tree damage indicates strong EF-1 damage, with winds of 86 to 100 m.p.h.
The weather service noted that it “had issued a tornado warning for this storm at 6:28 a.m.”
The tornado was the first in New York City since a tornado that swirled through Staten Island on Oct. 27, 2003.
Jeffrey M. Warner, a meteorologist at Penn State University, said the tornado today was the first one to hit Brooklyn since at least 1950, when modern record-keeping began, and only the sixth tornado recorded in New York City since 1950.
Andy Newman contributed reporting.
Source: http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/08/08/brooklyn-storm-is-declared-a-tornado/
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Strong Winds Cause Extensive Damage in Brooklyn; Officials Warn of Scorching Heat
A tree limb broke through the back window of a truck in the Bay Ridge neighborhood of Brooklyn during the storm this morning. (Benny Snyder/Associated Press)
Slide Show: City Assesses Storm DamageUpdated, 5 p.m.
Heavy winds toppled power lines, uprooted trees and damaged about 40 buildings in a wide swath of southwestern Brooklyn early this morning, particularly in the neighborhoods of Sunset Park and Bay Ridge.
“The National Weather Service is going to do a determination as to whether or not a tornado hit down, but what we do know is that there’s been real damage,” Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg said at an afternoon news conference in Brooklyn, adding that at the very least, the winds could be described as “a very strong localized storm.”
The winds were part of a tumultuous weather pattern that included what Mayor Bloomberg called a trio of events that also included torrential thunderstorms, which crippled the subways and caused flooding in neighborhoods like Maspeth and Jamaica, both in Queens, and scorching heat — highs in the 90s and a heat index that could reach 104 degrees — expected to smother the city this afternoon.
At 11:51 a.m., the National Weather Service put out an updated heat advisory, in effect until 8 p.m. “It will be another hot and very humid day,” the weather service announced, with heat index values from 104 to 108 degrees. Heat-related illnesses are likely to occur, officials warned.
The mayor and other city officials urged New Yorkers to check on elderly and disabled neighbors.
At the news conference, the mayor described extensive damage he had personally seen: a Nissan dealership in Bay Ridge where part of the roof had been ripped off; a missing roof and sheared-off siding at the Bay Ridge Baptist Church, and a broken front window at the Fourth Avenue Presbyterian Church. The damage appeared to be the most severe on 68th and 69th Streets between Third and Fourth Avenues.
In Leif Ericson Park, which straddles Sunset Park and Bay Ridge, an estimated 40 percent of the trees were toppled. Trees were felled in scattered parts of Queens and Staten Island. In Flatbush, near Beverly Road, trees were damaged all along Stratford Road, which is lined with old Victorian homes.
In Williamsburg, Brooklyn, three feeders in Consolidated Edison’s underground electrical network were down.
Fire Commissioner Nicholas Scoppetta said that five people were taken to Lutheran Hospital, including a woman who had a fractured leg. Maimonides Hospital suffered some slight damage, mostly broken glass.
The American Red Cross has set up a temporary shelter at 59th Street and Sixth Avenue in Sunset Park, and around 50 people have arrived there.
The sanitation commissioner, John J. Doherty, said heavy equipment and 150 workers would come in this evening to clear away debris. The parks commissioner, Adrian Benepe, estimated that at least 150 trees and 230 tree limbs were felled by the winds.
“Homeowners should not try to dispose of the wood themselves,” Mr. Benepe said, noting that much of the neighborhood is in the quarantine zone for the Asian longhorned beetle.
Representative Vito J. Fossella, a Republican who represents Staten Island and parts of southern Brooklyn, including the area damaged by the storm, said in a statement:
I have been on the scene in Bay Ridge all day meeting with Mayor Bloomberg and City and State emergency management officials. I have also placed a call to the Director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to request that a Preliminary Damage Assessment (PDA) team be sent to Bay Ridge immediately to survey the damage. The PDA evaluates the magnitude of the damage and helps determine whether federal assistance can be made available to residents and business owners. I believe FEMA can play an important role in helping residents of Bay Ridge and Sunset Park recovery from the storm. I will be working closely with the City and State officials in the coming days to ensure that resources are available for residents impacted by the storm and that every action is taken to provide comprehensive assistance for those in need.
The damage throughout our community is widespread and significant. I’ve seen trees uprooted on many blocks and homes and cars badly damaged. I’ve also spoken with dozens of residents throughout the day and know they are appreciative and grateful for the quick response of the City. We are fortunate that injuries appear to be minimal. Our job now is to help the families affected by the storm return to their homes and their lives as quickly as possible.
Source: http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/08/08/strong-winds-cause-extensive-damage-in-brooklyn/
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