By TimesLedger Staff
Hurricane Sandy claimed its first life in Queens Monday when a man was killed by a downed tree in Flushing, the NYPD said.
A 30-year-old man died after a tree fell on his house near the corner of 166th Street and Lithonia Avenue in Flushing, a spokesman for the police said at 8 p.m.
In other parts of the borough, powerful winds blasted through neighborhoods, and streets began filling with water as Sandy’s effects reached Queens.
At about 7:15 p.m., the National Weather Service predicted wind speeds of about 72 mph for Rockaway Point, and as far away as Astoria, gusts pounded loudly against windows.
Earlier in the evening, high winds caused Governor Andrew Cuomo to announced the closure of several bridges, and at 7:45 p.m., his office sent out a statement, saying the Robert F. Kennedy Triborough Bridge would close due to 100 mph wind gusts.
In the Ditmars section of Astoria, garbage cans blew into and throughout the street, as power lines swayed violently above. On Ditmars Boulevard, near 27th Street, several trees had broken and large branches dangled in the street.
The effects of the storm surge also became more visible as the storm’s movement progressed.
Beach 119th resembled a stream at about 7:15 p.m. as water from the storm drains rushed along the roadway, NBC reported.
The Breaking News Network reported that Broad Channel was completely partially at 6:53 p.m. and an update that the island was completely under water was sent out at 7:30 p.m.
Despite the weather forecast, some borough stores were still open for shoppers at about 7 p.m.
At the Key Food on 31st Street, workers said the supermarket would be open until 11 p.m.
