FAY! N.Y. AREA HIT BY GIANT STORM
Subways soaked, beaches batttered by wind and rain
Flooded streets and sloshy subways were left in the wake of a tropical storm that blew through the city Friday, dumping as much as 7 inches of rain in some spots, and making a traveling mess for some soaked souls.
Even in the midst of a pandemic and racial unrest, Tropical Storm Fay showed no mercy, pounding the Big Apple with relentless rain and high winds for much of the day.
As rain water puddled on the street below, a large tree fell on the B and Q line at the Brighton Beach station, near Avenue M stalling service for part of the afternoon.
Sean and his daughter Marianna — they didn’t give their last names — hit the beach in the Rockaways eager to see giant waves crash along the shore.
“We get waves, but not like that, not since Sandy,” said Sean — referring to the 2012 hurricane by which everything has since been measured. “I just don’t want the ocean to meet the bay again.”
Fay made landfall in New Jersey, about 10 miles northeast of Atlantic City, and worked its way up the Garden State toward New York, according to the National Hurricane Center.
As the storm moves north over the next 24 hours, it will continue to threaten flooding from New Jersey and Pennsylvania to New York and southern New England.
Fay is expected to weaken to a tropical depression by
Saturday morning, the hurricane center said.
“I am deploying state personnel and resources to communities across the state to ensure they have the support they need to respond to anything Mother Nature may throw our way,” Gov. Cuomo said in a statement as Fay began to unfurl.
“With widespread thunderstorms expected across the state and heavy
rain and flash flooding expected to hit New York City and Long Island in the coming days, I am urging all New Yorkers to stay alert and be careful during these potentially severe weather conditions,” Cuomo said.
By 4 p.m. Friday, commuters traveling through the Times Sq.-42nd subway station needed umbrellas to trudge through flooding above the downtown Q
Train platform.
Officials at the Metropolitan Transportation Authority — which has seen sudden, heavy rains flood the subway system many times — said they are preparing for all scenarios.
“We are closely monitoring the storm with strong winds and heavy rain expected across New York City and have activated our 24/7 command center,” MTA
Chairman Patrick Foye said.
“We have a comprehensive agency-wide plan in place to protect the system and ensure the safety of all employees and customers.”
Lifeguard David Gonzalez, 17, ended his second week on the job overseeing an empty beach in the Rockaways. He sat in his high chair most of the day, except for a brief break he was forced to take because of lightning.
“It’s kind of frustrating with all the sand hitting your face,” Gonzalez said. “It stings. But the wind is nice.”
Except for the conditions, Gonzalez said it was nice to have the beach all to himself.
“You could say it’s a good day. There’s nobody here,” he said. “It’s nice to be out, after being in quarantine for so many months.”