Strong winds and rain hit New York City and its surrounding areas on Tuesday, as tropical storm "Isaias" invaded the three states bordering New York.
The storm pushed toward the city´s five boroughs from the south at noon, creating a state of devastation as tornadoes reportedly landed near the Jersey Shore.
The Isaias storm has already caused blackouts on 172,500 Co-Edison customers, according to the city´s Con Edison Electric Company. Strong winds cause trees and branches to vibrate, hitting power lines, which led to blackouts.
The transportation authority in the metropolitan area announced that the underground subway would be operated only due to bad weather conditions, as the external subway stations would not operate as they were closed. "To maintain the safety of all, we suspend most external services and we will operate the subway service only underground until the winds subside," the authority tweeted.
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio asked New York City residents to take the hurricane hour seriously.
"It is cause for concern. Take it seriously," said Bill de Palacio at his daily press conference. "When you hear a hurricane warning, things don´t go as usual. With this strong wind blowing, just secure anything that can fly."
On the other hand, the city continues to monitor potential coastal floods linked to "Isaias". Dams and sandbags were temporarily constructed on South Street Seaport, Lower Manhattan, to repel possible storms.
