[NYTr] Storm cripples NYC transit system

[All the News That Doesn't Fit]

MSNBC - Aug 8, 2007
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20177120/

Storm wallops NYC, crippling transit system

One death reported; twister rips roofs off several homes and businesses

MSNBC staff and news service reports

NEW YORK - Torrential rain blamed for at least one death flooded
subways and rail lines and delayed flights early Wednesday at New
York’s three major airports and thousands of commuters were stranded
for two hours or more.

At least one tornado, wind and heavy rain toppled trees onto cars and
streets, caused scattered power outages and left some shops shuttered
and businesses struggling with shortages of workers. The twister tore
off the roof of a Nissan car dealership and left 16 homes with moderate
to severe roof damage.

Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly said officers had to use
crowd-control tactics to keep the peace. Groups of officers directed
commuters from subway stations where trains weren’t running and at bus
stops jammed with people jostling to get on board.

A woman who got stuck in an underpass was killed when her car was
struck by another vehicle, Mayor Michael Bloomberg said. The mayor said
buildings were damaged in parts of Brooklyn, including a roof ripped
off a church.

“I don’t know that God had rush hour in mind when the storms hit,â€_
Bloomberg said at news conference in a Brooklyn neighborhood. The
National Weather Service later confirmed a tornado had touched down.

The tornado's winds reached speeds of between 111 mph and 135 mph, the
National Weather Service reported. The tornado's path started around
New York's Bay Ridge area. It traveled around two miles through
Brooklyn.

Flooded transit lines

All subway lines in the city experienced delays or diversions, and some
rail lines to Grand Central Terminal and some rail routes from New
Jersey into Manhattan were shut down for more than an hour.

“We are very much tied to mass transit, which is a system that is
obviously vulnerable to natural events,â€_ Bloomberg said.

Passengers on one train to Grand Central were told they had to get off
at a station in the Bronx and walk to a nearby subway station. Some
trudged through the streets in drenched business suits, only to be told
at the subway that those trains weren’t running either.

Some commuters were understanding.

“It’s nobody’s fault. You see how hard the rain was coming
down,â€_ said Mark Edwards, who tried to get on a subway in Brooklyn
only to find that the line was flooded.

Others wondered how a strong but hardly record-breaking rainstorm could
nearly bring the city to a halt.

“The weather is bad enough,â€_ said Vanessa Santiago. “But now I
have to worry about getting into trouble for being late to work.â€_