STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- For an intense two hours, Tropical Storm Isaias whipped Staten Island with fierce wind and rain Tuesday, tearing up trees, bringing down live wires, knocking out power to 34,000 and forcing the complete closure of the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge.
The rain stopped and the winds began to let up by around 2 p.m.
And by 4 p.m., blue skies had returned.
But the storm left significant damage in its wake, with scores of felled trees blocking roads from Tompkinsville to Tottenville, and tens of thousands left without power.
Here are the most important things you need to know right now:
- Staten Island Railway has been restored; click here for the latest on the transportation around the borough;
- Con Edison is reporting 30,000 customers are without power across Staten Island as of 9 p.m.;
- NYC OEM has established a command center at the Staten Island Mall;
- Half-hour Staten Island Ferry service resumed at 3 p.m.
HERE IS A LOOK AT HOW THE STORM UNFOLDED ON STATEN ISLAND
10:10 P.M. -- CON EDISON REPORTS 25,000 HOMES REMAIN WITHOUT POWER
Approximately 25,700 Con Edison customers remained without power on Staten Island as of 10:10 p.m., according to the agency’s outage map.
9:15 P.M. -- STATEN ISLAND RAILWAY SERVICE RESUMED
The MTA said that it was working to restore full service to the railway Tuesday night.
8:07 P.M. -- MORE THAN 900 TREES REPORTED DOWN
The Parks Department said that more than 900 downed trees had been reported on Staten Island as of 7 p.m. Tuesday. Citywide, the agency said it was managing “nearly 13,000 incoming reports of tree-related issues due to Tropical Storm Isaias,” said Dan Kastanis, a spokesman with the Parks Department.
7:05 P.M. -- VERRAZZANO BROOKLYN-BOUND UPPER LEVEL REOPENS
An MTA spokesman said the FDNY removed the overturned tractor-trailer after extinguishing a fire that occurred and that all lanes of the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge are now reopened.
6:45 P.M. -- NYC OEM ESTABLISHES COMMAND CENTER AT S.I. MALL
Borough President James Oddo said the NYC Office of Emergency Management established a command center at the Staten Island Mall.
6:15 P.M. -- THOUSANDS REMAIN WITHOUT POWER
Con Edison is reporting approximately 36,00 customers are without power as of 6:15 p.m.
4:30 P.M. -- TRUCK FIRE CAUSES VERRAZZANO CLOSURE
After all lanes of the Verrazzano reopened to traffic, a truck fire caused the Brooklyn-bound upper level to be closed.
4 P.M. -- TORNADO WATCH EXPIRES
A tornado watch issued by the National Weather Service for Staten Island is no longer in effect.
3:59 P.M. -- VERRAZZANO RE-OPENED
All lanes of the Verrazzano have re-opened to traffic in both directions. Residual delays can be expected.
3:56 P.M. -- LIVE WIRES CAUSE BLAZE IN GREAT KILLS
Live wires brought down by Isaias struck a house on Keegans Lane in Great Kills, causing a fire, a witness told the Advance/SILive.com.
A witness said the “line hit the ground and fish-tailed and hit the back of the house,” causing “one big spark” to come up in the rear of the home.
3:33 P.M. -- VERRAZZANO PARTIALLY RE-OPENS
After a prior closure, the New Jersey-bound lanes of the Verrazzano have re-opened to traffic on the upper level.
The lower level remains closed in both directions.
3:20 P.M. -- LARGE TREE BLOCKING VICTORY BLVD.
A large tree is blocking Victory Boulevard at Silver Lake Park Drive in Silver Lake. The tree ripped up a huge chunk of sidewalk as it came down.
3 P.M. -- FERRY SERVICE RESUMES
Staten Island Ferry service resumed 3 p.m.
“Due to increased visibility and calmer winds, the #SIFerry resumed half hour service as of 3 p.m.,” the Department of Transportation announced on Twitter.
The ferry will run every half hour through 11 p.m. at St. George and 11:30 p.m. at Whitehall, at which point hourly overnight service will resume.
2:41 P.M. -- TREE DOWN ON WESTERVELT AREA BLOCKING STREETS
Officials are blocking Westervelt Avenue to traffic between Corson and Scribner avenues in New Brighton after a large tree branch brought down a power line.
2:39 P.M . -- LARGE TREE DOWN AT TOMPKINSVILLE PARK
A large tree was snapped in half at Tompkinsville Park. The jagged stump remains, while the rest of the tree is blocking the sidewalk and part of the street.
2:19 P.M. -- CONSTRUCTION SITE COLLAPSE IN ST. GEORGE
Scaffolding fell at a hotel construction site on Bay Street in St. George. A worker on the scene said there were no injuries as result.
The NYPD has one lane of traffic blocked near the site.
2:11 P.M. -- RAIN, WIND APPEAR TO BE LETTING UP
After about two hours of intense rain and wind, conditions appeared to have mellowed. The rain has ceased in most parts of the Island, and while the wind is still howling, it is not as intense as earlier.
2:03 P.M. -- MAJOR JAMS AROUND VERRAZZANO
There appear to be multiple bottlenecks and delays related to the closure of the Verrazzano. Cars can be seen piled up at exists on the Staten Island Expressway near the span. The NYPD is helping direct traffic at McClean and Lilly Pond avenues, near the entrance to the bridge.
1:57 P.M. -- WIND HOWLS IN ST. GEORGE
Video from Staten Island’s Bay Street Landing shows Tropical Storm Isaias with rain and wind picking up in intensity.
1:53 p.m. -- OUTERBRIDGE TO S.I. RE-OPENED
The Outerbridge Crossing to Staten Island has re-opened to traffic. New Jersey-bound lanes remain blocked.
1:50 P.M. -- TREE DOWN ON GRYMES HILL
A large tree brought down power lines on Cedar Terrace in Grymes Hill.
1:43 P.M. -- OUTERBRIDGE TRAFFIC BEING HELD
The Outerbridge Crossing in both directions is experiencing a traffic hold due to operational activity. [52]
— OBX. Wear a Face Covering. (@PANYNJ_OBX) August 4, 2020
1:35 P.M. -- OUTAGES GROW TO 20K
The Con Edison online outage map is now reporting 21,590 customers on Staten Island without power. There are reports of downed trees and power lines coming in from all parts of the borough.
1:23 P.M. -- TRAFFIC LIGHTS OUT ALONG HYLAN
There are numerous traffic lights out across the borough; those include busy Hylan Boulevard, in Dongan Hills, Ocean Breeze and South Beach.
1:10 P.M. -- VERRAZZANO CLOSED
Due to an overturned vehicle, the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge has been closed on both levels in both directions.
1:05 P.M. -- TREE DOWN ONTO HOUSE IN CLIFTON
A tree fell onto two homes on Norwood Avenue and Talbot Place in Clifton.
12:36 P.M. -- WIDESPREAD OUTAGES ON S.I.
The Con Edison online outage map is reporting 5,790 customers without power on Staten Island. Affected areas include Tottenville, Eltingville, Bulls Head, Dongan Hills and Willowbrook.
12:13 P.M. -- TRACTOR TRAILERS BANNED ON N.J. CROSSINGS
Due to high winds, tractor-trailers, empty tandem, car-pulled trailers and motorcycles are banned from the Outerbridge Crossing and Bayonne Bridge, the Port Authority announced.
12:04 P.M. -- FERRY SERVICE TO BE DISCONTINUED
The Staten Island Ferry will not run from 1 to 5 p.m. Tuesday due to “the latest forecast from the National Weather Service indicating there is an increased wind & tornado (water spout) threat because of Tropical Storm Isaias.”
10:35 A.M. -- MODIFIED FERRY SERVICE
The Staten Island Ferry will operate on a modified schedule during the evening rush with service approximately every 20 minutes. Regular service resumes at 8 p.m.
9:03 A.M. -- TIME FRAME NARROWS
The storm is now expected to hit Staten Island between noon at 5 p.m., according to AccuWeather.
“The New York City area will probably get an inch to an inch and a half of rain,” said meteorologist Mike Doll.
8:05 A.M. -- VERRAZZANO RESTRICTIONS
Empty tractor-trailers and tandems will be prohibited from noon to 8 p.m. on the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge, the MTA announced.
7:20 A.M. -- TORNADO WATCH
The National Weather Service issued a tornado watch for most of the tri-state area, including Staten Island, until 4 p.m. Tuesday. There is also a tropical storm warning in effect Tuesday, as well as a flash flood watch and coastal flood warning until Wednesday morning.
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