NEW YORK (AP) — Heavy rain and winds pounded the Northeast U.S. on Thursday as storms tore through a beach on Long Island, stranded dozens of people in their cars in New Jersey and knocked out power in parts of Delaware’s capital city.
Photos and video shared on social media show debris thrown in the air and pummeling rain as a possible tornado touched down at Atlantic Beach on Long Island’s outer barrier. It tore apart a major beach club, leaving broken beach chairs and wood beams littered across the shoreline.
Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman said there were no reports of serious injuries or deaths, but there had been damage to property and a search team was making sure no one was trapped in the cabanas. He declared a state of emergency.
“There are reports of people trapped in their vehicles due to flooding in the south shore, and first responders are assisting in their rescue,” he said in a statement.
The Sun and Surf Beach Club said buildings had been significantly damaged and it temporarily closed that club and nearby Silver Point.
The National Weather Service had warned of waterspouts, tornado-like hazards that happen over water, in the area but wasn’t able to immediately confirm a tornado on the beach.
Bryan Ramsey, a meteorologist for the weather service in New York, said the storm was moving East offshore Thursday evening and was expected to taper over the next several hours.
In other parts of New York, flooding caused part of the Long Island Expressway in Queens to close in both directions, according to New York City Emergency Management. Photos on social media showed lines of stopped cars as emergency crews traversed the water.
In Jersey City, New Jersey, emergency crews rescued 69 people trapped in cars that had been overtaken by flash flooding Thursday, said Mayor James Solomon. Emergency crews waded through roads with knee-high water with small inflatable boats to help those stranded.
A likely tornado touched down in Dover, Delaware, and caused significant damage across the city, the police department reported. There were no reports of serious injuries, police said.
“Dover — please take this seriously. Stay home. Stay safe,” the department said on Facebook.
Photos and video online show fallen trees, downed power lines and flooded roads.
The Delaware Electric Cooperative said more than 1,000 customers didn’t have power in the northern part of its service area, but within a few hours most of the outages had been fixed.
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