Estimates Put Damage in Tens of Millions Of Dollars
By Phoebe Neidl
Brooklyn Daily Eagle
SOUTHWEST BROOKLYN — Hundreds of trees were uprooted, dozens of cars crushed, roofs were torn off of houses, metal streetlights bent and windows shattered in a “strong, localized storm” that hit Bay Ridge and Sunset Park yesterday morning, leaving a trail of destruction in its wake.
Shortly before press time, the National Weather Service confirmed that the storm, which produced winds up to 135 miles per hour, was actually a tornado. Indeed, the type of havoc seen here was more reminiscent of a tornado in the Midwest than a typical New York City storm.
“I didn’t hear wind so much as crackling,” said Shore Road resident Pat Russo. “I walked toward the window in the living room and the house started shaking. Outside, everything was moving horizontally — tree branches, patio furniture. I realized the cracking sound was from tree limbs snapping off. It was gone very quickly, less than a minute, but it was very frightening.”
Arlene Rutuelo was standing at a fruit stand on Third Avenue at 6:15 a.m. She explains what happened, “I could hear the difference of the sound behind me. It was wild. It looked like a train just rushed by. I couldn’t see anything through it. It looked like a river, like a rushing waterfall. I’ve never seen a tornado. It only lasted for like a minute or so. So once I heard the wind go down, I heard a woman yelling. She was saying, ‘Help me.’ She wasn’t hurt, just scared.”
40 Buildings, 100 Cars Damaged
Early estimates by state Sen. Marty Golden’s office put damages possibly in the tens of millions of dollars. Lief Ericson Park lost between 30 and 40 percent of its trees. Roughly 40 buildings and more than 100 automobiles were damaged, according to Mayor Bloomberg, whose Community Assistance Unit did a block-by-block assessment of the area with Community Board 10 District Manager Josephine Beckmann before holding a press conference at 58th Street and Sixth Avenue with other city officials.
Dan Texeira of Lincoln Brokerage at 464 Bay Ridge Ave. said that 35 claims had been filed before noon for damage to roofs and flooded basements.
No serious injuries have been reported, although people have been admitted to area hospitals for injuries involving shattered glass and one broken leg.
Power outages were reported in all five boroughs, and subway service was suspended on most lines due to the heavy rain that preceded the storm. The worst damage seems to have been concentrated on 68th and 69th streets between Third and Fourth avenues and on 58th Street between Sixth and Seventh avenues.
Commissioner of Small Business Services Robert Walsh announced that they would also be doing their own assessment of the area to determine what assistance is needed by area merchants.
Shop owners along Third and Fifth avenues stood shocked outside their businesses, many with windows smashed and signs in shambles. Helene Bakke, owner of the Nordic Deli at 69th and Third Avenue, said, “It was like a freight train coming, I’ve never heard anything like it before.” Her roof is peeled back, her window is smashed and her sign is cracked.
John Rossi, owner of Lowen’s Pharmacy on 69th Street and Third Avenue, stood over the shredded sign to his business, which had hung for 35 years.
Rep. Vito Fossella, R-Staten Island/Brooklyn, reached out to 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.”
Golden called on Governor Eliot Spitzer to immediately issue a disaster declaration for parts of southwest Brooklyn and other communities in New York City in response to the storm and flash flooding that ripped through the area.
© Brooklyn Daily Eagle 2007
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