A deadly nor’easter continued to pound the East Coast on Sunday, leaving at least one person dead, another missing and several others injured.
More than 100,000 customers across the Northeast were without electricity, while officials warned that the outage total could grow as powerful winds and heavy rain swept through the region.
The storm began lashing much of New England late Friday, bringing coastal flooding, uprooted trees, downed power lines, winds reaching 65 mph and dangerous rip currents.
Torrential rain inundated parts of New York, New Jersey, North Carolina, Connecticut and Virginia, turning streets and roads into flooded waterways.
The weather disruption also triggered ground stops and flight cancellations at airports across New York and New Jersey on Sunday. More than 400 flights had been halted the previous day.
Leighton Brown, a 56-year-old New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) employee, died Saturday night after an uprooted tree fell on him as he walked through a Brooklyn park.
Meanwhile, New York State Police said a man disappeared while swimming near Robert Moses State Park on Fire Island, Long Island. His identity has not been released, and the search continued Sunday morning.
Authorities said the swimmer was struck by waves estimated at 18 feet near Fire Island at about 2.30pm Saturday. He has not been seen since.
A nor’easter continued to batter the East Coast on Sunday morning, leaving people stranded amid floodwaters, powerful winds and dangerous surf. (Pictured: Waves surge over homes in Scituate, Massachusetts)
Leighton Brown, a 56-year-old New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) employee, was killed when an uprooted tree fell on him as he walked through a Brooklyn park on Saturday, the agency said
A family makes its way through floodwaters in Wildwood, New Jersey, during the storm on Saturday
The search was called off later that night because of darkness but was expected to resume Sunday, News 12 reported.
Four people—a one-year-old child, a seven-year-old child and two women aged 40 and 41—were injured when a tree fell at a Brooklyn playground, officials said.
The powerful storm system was expected to continue affecting much of the region on Monday. Several coastal communities in New Jersey and New York had already begun evacuations because of the hazardous conditions.
After learning of Brown’s death, NYCHA tenant association president James Alcivar said he realized something was wrong when he heard a loud boom followed by sirens.
Alcivar told NY1 that Brown had been an outstanding employee.
‘He was one of the best employees that we had here at Cyprus Hills Development.
‘If you had work that needed to be done in your house, he was the guy to call. He comes here dedicated. As you can see, this tragic accident, he was doing what he loved,’ he said.
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NYCHA also issued a statement after Brown’s death.
‘We are deeply saddened by this tragic loss and extend our heartfelt condolences to his family and the NYCHA community,’ the agency said.
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani also acknowledged Leighton’s death in a post to social media on Saturday.
A harrowing image also showed a man pulling a paddle board as a young child stood on top of it and another lay across, holding onto its straps for support in Beach Haven, New Jersey
Atlantic City firefighters also made their way through the water that went up to their knees in an effort to help people stuck in the storm
‘My thoughts are with his entire family as they deal with this unimaginable loss. May he rest in peace, and may his service to our city never be forgotten,’ Mamdani wrote.
Incredible images captured stranded families walking through tall waters in Wildwood, New Jersey, as the storm intensified on Saturday.
At least one man put his dog on a kayak to get around, while a man carried a child in his arm as they carried heavy backpacks through the storm.
Another family was seen lifting suitcases out of the water as they trudged through.
Atlantic City firefighters also made their way through the water that went up to their knees in an effort to help people stuck in the storm.
A harrowing image also showed a man pulling a paddle board as a young child stood on top of it and another lay across, holding onto its straps for support in Beach Haven, New Jersey.
A family-owned business at the Jersey Shore flooded for the first time since Hurricane Sandy in 2012.
People hopped on a boat in Edgewater, New Jersey, on Saturday after floodwaters along the Hudson River submerged a parking lot
A man carried a young girl through surging floodwater in Surf City, New Jersey on Saturday during the storm
Kenny Formica, who runs Surf City Marina, told CNN the nor’easter ‘has just been something else.’
‘Hurricane Sandy taught us that if the flooding is gonna happen, it’s gonna happen. You can’t stop it,’ Formica added.
More than 450 flights were canceled on Saturday because of the storm. Another 3,000 were delayed.
As of Sunday, there are widespread delays at several major airports, including LaGuardia Airport, JFK and Boston Logan International Airport.