A powerful, slow-moving nor’easter tore through Brooklyn and the greater New York City area this past weekend, flooding streets, downing trees, and leaving thousands without power as the storm parked itself over the region for the better part of three days.
Governor Kathy Hochul declared a state of emergency for New York City on Friday, just hours before the storm rolled in with wind gusts topping 55 miles per hour. By Saturday, high tides had already pushed water into low-lying neighborhoods across the borough, with flooding reported from Coney Island to Red Hook and Greenpoint. In Coney Island, the MTA installed storm doors at subway entrances along Mermaid and Neptune Avenues to try to keep floodwater out of the system.
The flooding continued into Sunday as a second round of high tides swept through the region. Streets across Brooklyn turned to rivers, and fallen trees littered blocks throughout the borough, snapping power lines and leaving residents in the dark.
The storm’s impact was felt hardest in East Flatbush, where a brick parapet wall collapsed at a three-story building on Church Avenue, just off Nostrand Avenue. The collapse forced dozens of residents from their homes as emergency crews worked to secure the building and assess the damage.
Citywide, the nor’easter proved deadly. A New York City Housing Authority worker was killed after being struck by a falling tree, and four other people were hospitalized with injuries after also being struck by falling trees during the height of the storm. Across the Northeast, more than 130,000 customers lost power at the storm’s peak, with Long Island and other parts of New York state among the hardest hit.
By Monday, the storm finally began to loosen its grip on the region, with forecasters calling for conditions to ease through the start of the week, though lingering rain and wind were still expected across parts of New England.
For Brooklyn residents cleaning up in the storm’s aftermath, the message from city officials was clear: stay clear of downed power lines and damaged structures, and report any storm damage to 311.