BOSTON (AP) – Coastal communities in the Northeast continue to endure the effects of a powerful nor'easter, facing flooding for a second consecutive day as residents navigate through high water and widespread outages. The storm has left tens of thousands without power and has significantly impacted low-lying neighborhoods across New Jersey and New York's Long Island.
In Sea Bright, New Jersey, Caroline Virenius described her experiences as the high tide brought repeated flooding to her garage, filling it with about a foot of water. “It’s getting wet again and again,” she said, highlighting the ongoing challenges that locals face as the storm persists. The nor'easter has already resulted in one tragic fatality: a New York City Housing Authority worker who was killed by a falling tree on Saturday.
The slow-moving storm has caused severe weather conditions, including heavy rainfall exceeding 4 inches (10 centimeters) in some areas of New Jersey since Friday. This confluence of extreme rainfall and tidal surges from the ocean has resulted in flooding levels not seen in nearly a decade, prompting concerns among residents familiar with such conditions.
According to the National Weather Service, the nor'easter was expected to weaken overnight on Sunday, but rain and gusty winds would likely continue. Local officials advised that high tide on Monday could exacerbate flooding issues. Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman mentioned, “There is another band of the storm, a weaker band, but still another band that could hit early this afternoon and later into the evening.”
Images of waves battering sea walls and encroaching onto beaches have evoked memories of Superstorm Sandy, which inflicted over $60 billion in damages across the eastern United States in 2012. Though the current storm has not resulted in comparable damage, experts warn it may be an early indicator of several storms that could impact the East Coast this fall due to an El Niño climate pattern affecting this year’s weather.
At the height of the storm, over 100,000 customers in the Northeast and mid-Atlantic were without power, with the most significant outages reported in coastal counties from New Jersey to Connecticut. The storm also wreaked havoc on travel plans, leading to the cancellation of more than 250 flights by late Sunday morning at Boston Logan International Airport, where wind gusts reached 40 mph (64 kph).
Although the storm’s intensity is diminishing, lingering tidal flooding is expected to persist through the evening's high-tide cycles. In New York City’s Howard Beach neighborhood, residents waded through a few inches of standing water without hesitation, with some venturing out to coffee shops. Carole Ann Palmer, owner of Jingles Bait and Tackle in North Beach Haven, expressed that the flooding was the worst she had seen in a decade, reporting neighbors kayaking through the streets.
New Jersey communities have taken steps to better prepare for such storms since Sandy. Bernard Dowd emphasized that new regulations requiring homeowners to elevate their homes likely prevented more extensive damage in Sea Bright. He also noted that many residents had proactively lined their properties with sandbags, an action he wishes he had taken as well.
As the effects of the storm unfold, the resilience and preparedness of the affected communities are becoming evident. The lessons learned from previous storms are guiding current responses and shaping future strategies to mitigate such natural disasters.
