Two tornadoes strike in NYC neighborhoods

Associated Press

NEW YORK

Two tornadoes struck New York City on Saturday. One swept out of the sea and hit a beachfront neighborhood, and the second, stronger twister hit moments later, hurling debris in the air, knocking out power and startling residents who once thought of twisters as a Midwestern phenomenon.

Videos taken by bystanders showed a funnel cloud sucking up water, then sand, and then small pieces of buildings as the first moved through the Breezy Point section of the Rockaway peninsula in Queens.

The second hit west, in the Canarsie section of Brooklyn, also near the water, about seven minutes later. The National Weather Service said winds were up to 110 miles per hour, and several homes and trees were damaged.

No serious injuries were reported.

Residents had advance notice. The weather service had issued a tornado warning for Queens and Brooklyn about 10:40 a.m. The storm took people by surprise anyway when it struck about 20 minutes later.

“I was showing videos of tornadoes to my 4-year-old on my phone, and two minutes later, it hit,” said Breezy Point neighborhood resident Peter Maloney. “Just like they always say, it sounded like a train.”

In the storm’s wake, the community of seaside bungalows was littered with broken flower pots, knocked-down fences and smashed windows.