Deadly nor’easter turns streets to rivers as 65mph winds and torrential rainfall wreaks havoc while flights are urgently stopped… and there’s even more destruction to come
A deadly nor’easter has continued to batter the East Coast, leaving at least one dead, another missing, and multiple people injured as of Sunday morning.
Over 100,000 people have been left without power in the Northeast today, with the number expected to rise due to increasingly high winds and heavy rainfall.
Coastal flooding, fallen trees, downed power lines, strong 65mph winds, and intense rip currents descended on much of New England late on Friday night.
Parts of New York, New Jersey, North Carolina, Connecticut, and Virginia were swamped with a deluge of rainwater that completely flooded streets and roads.
The torrent caused ground stops and cancelations at airports across New York and New Jersey on Sunday, with more than 400 flights halted yesterday.
On Saturday night, it was confirmed that Leighton Brown, a 56-year-old New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) employee, was killed by an uprooted tree that toppled over while he walked through a park in Brooklyn.
Another man vanished while swimming off Robert Moses State Park on Fire Island, Long Island, according to New York State Police. He has not been identified – and the search for him has continued on Sunday morning.
The swimmer was hit by 18ft waves near Fire Island around 2.30pm on Saturday and has not been seen since, authorities said.
A nor’easter continued to hit the East Coast on Sunday morning, leaving many stranded in high waters, intense wind and high surf. (Pictured: Waves take over homes in Scituate, Massachusetts)
Leighton Brown, a 56-year-old New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) employee, was killed by an uprooted tree that toppled over (pictured) while he walked through a park in Brooklyn on Saturday, the agency said
A family trekked through high water in Wildwood, New Jersey during the storm on Saturday
A search for him was suspended later in the night because of darkness, but is expected to continue on Sunday, News 12 reported.
At least four people – two children, aged one and seven, and two women, ages 40 and 41 – were injured after a tree fell over at a Brooklyn playground, officials said.
The intense storm system will continue to impact most of the region on Monday as several coastal towns in New Jersey and New York have launched evacuations due to dangerous conditions.
After hearing of Brown’s death, James Alcivar, the tenant association president of NYCHA, recalled knowing something was wrong after hearing a loud boom and sirens.
Alcivar told NY1 that Brown was an exceptional employee.
‘He was one of the best employees that we had here at Cyprus Hills Development.
‘If you had work that needed to be done in your house, he was the guy to call. He comes here dedicated. As you can see, this tragic accident, he was doing what he loved,’ he said.
The NYCHA also released a statement following his death.
‘We are deeply saddened by this tragic loss and extend our heartfelt condolences to his family and the NYCHA community,’ the agency said.
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani also acknowledged Leighton’s death in a post to social media on Saturday.
A harrowing image also showed a man pulling a paddle board as a young child stood on top of it and another lay across, holding onto its straps for support in Beach Haven, New Jersey
Atlantic City firefighters also made their way through the water that went up to their knees in an effort to help people stuck in the storm
‘My thoughts are with his entire family as they deal with this unimaginable loss. May he rest in peace, and may his service to our city never be forgotten,’ Mamdani wrote.
Incredible images captured stranded families walking through tall waters in Wildwood, New Jersey, as the storm intensified on Saturday.
At least one man put his dog on a kayak to get around, while a man carried a child in his arm as they carried heavy backpacks through the storm.
Another family was seen lifting suitcases out of the water as they trudged through.
Atlantic City firefighters also made their way through the water that went up to their knees in an effort to help people stuck in the storm.
A harrowing image also showed a man pulling a paddle board as a young child stood on top of it and another lay across, holding onto its straps for support in Beach Haven, New Jersey.
A family-owned business at the Jersey Shore flooded for the first time since Hurricane Sandy in 2012.
People hopped on a boat in Edgewater, New Jersey, on Saturday after floodwaters along the Hudson River submerged a parking lot
A man carried a young girl through surging floodwater in Surf City, New Jersey on Saturday during the storm
Kenny Formica, who runs Surf City Marina, told CNN the nor’easter ‘has just been something else.’
‘Hurricane Sandy taught us that if the flooding is gonna happen, it’s gonna happen. You can’t stop it,’ Formica added.
More than 450 flights were canceled on Saturday because of the storm. Another 3,000 were delayed.
As of Sunday, there are widespread delays at several major airports, including LaGuardia Airport, JFK and Boston Logan International Airport.
