Update: Lloyd Harbor Cleaning Up After Fierce Storm Blows Through

Cleanup was underway Thursday in Lloyd Harbor from the heavy rain and wind damage left by the remnants of Tropical Storm that socked the area overnight.

On Friday, Suffolk, Nassau and 12 other counties in New York were declared eligible for federal emergency disaster funds.

Huntington FIre Department district manager Bruce Smith said that the wind may have reached 78 MPH but the National Weather Service has not determined whether the storm was a tornado.

The department, which had at least 45 volunteers turn out, also was busy rescuing two families from an apartment building on New York Avenue.

Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone said that firefighters helped 12 people from the building, who were assiste with housing overnight by the American Red Cross.

Smith said firefighters from Huntington Manor, Northport, Halesite and Dix Hills provided assistance. The Huntington department also helped a police officer who been stranded in his vehicle on Creek Road when it flooded.

Smith also said that seven or eight homes in the area were hit by falling trees.

Homeowner Daniel Pedisich, owner of Konoba Huntington Restaurant, said his property on Meadow Lane was entirely cut off and had lost 22 trees. He said he had left his restaurant Wednesday night after 10 p.m. got home, only to have the storm hit about 10:40 pm. His power was knocked out, and he said he expected it to remain out of service for some time.

The main phone number for Lloyd Harbor Village Hall was out of service. A number of observers on scene noted that the storm seemed to hit selectively, wreaking damage on one piece of property, while leaving others nearby untouched.

PSEG-LI spokeswoman  Elizabeth Flagler said, there was  “extensive localized damage in the Lloyd Harbor area. We have a significant workforce clearing trees and replacing poles and wires. Crews will continue to work through the night to restore power to all customers. We appreciate our customers patience, as we work safely and as quickly as possible.”

The local damage resulted from a storm that first struck 1,500 miles away before remnants blew up along the East Coast, triggering tornadoes and other damaging storms through several states before continuing on through New England.

As of about 4 pm Thursday, the PSEG-LI storm map indicated that about 654 Llloyd Harbor residents were without power, with an estimated restoration time of  5:45 am Friday.

According to the National Weather Service, a moderate tornado has a wind speed of 73 to 112 MPH.

County Executive Steve Bellone press conference at the Huntington Fire Department

 

 

Photos by Daniel Pedisich, Halesite Fire Department

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