A slow-moving, powerful storm crept along the coast of the US Northeast on Saturday, producing high winds that caused power outages while whipping up big waves and heavy rains that created dangerous conditions.
Emergency crews in mid-Atlantic and New England states raced to restore power after downed trees contributed to outages for about 100,000 customers in the region.
The New York City Housing Authority said one of its employees was killed by a fallen tree in Brooklyn, as the storm pelted the city with rain and strong winds.
Emergency crews in Sea Bright, New Jersey, rescued a woman and her dog after their vehicle became trapped in floodwaters, ABC7 reported. Tens of millions of people remained in the path of the nor’easter for Sunday, with major flooding forecast for some coastal areas. In New Jersey and New York, some people kayaked down flooded streets. Others headed to beaches to try to surf the higher-than-usual waves. “North Carolina and county emergency responders are working hard to keep you safe and reconnected as quickly as possible. In Long Island, ferry owner Stephanie Sherman paused operations between Patchogue and the barrier island of Fire Island.
One customer sent him a video around 4 a.m. showing his 25-foot (7.6-meter) boat after it had blown off its lift. The island has a year-round population of about 5,000 that swells much higher in warm weather, he said.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency said response coordination centers in impacted regions were operating at an “enhanced posture,” and teams were on standby in New England in case of widespread outages. Formica said he awoke to messages from customers reporting missing boats and Jet Skis. The road to the island remained closed, and a ferry also was out of service, leaving boat travel through bad weather as the only option, said Drew Pearson, emergency management director for North Carolina’s Dare County. The North Carolina Department of Transportation said it would soon begin emergency ferry service between Hatteras Island and the mainland. “To folks on Hatteras, you are not on an island all alone,” Governor Josh Stein said on social media.
