Violently Windy Weather Claims Three Lives

Wind gusts of up to 60 mph swept into the region yesterday, downing trees and utility poles, killing three people and injuring many others. Neighborhoods were without power, some bridges were temporarily closed, and airports delayed flights until the winds slowed in the evening. A meteorologist told the Daily News, "We often see storms with gusts around 40 mph. We had widespread gusts of 45-55 mph with some up to 60 mph. That extra 10 mph makes a big difference."

A construction worker in Staten Island was killed when a concrete wall collapsed on him. Long Island resident Robert McGee, 59, who had been "laying down metal tracks," was "discovered unconscious and unresponsive this morning underneath the rubble at the construction site," according to the Staten Island Advance. McGee was pronounced dead at the scene and the Department of Buildings Commissioner Robert LiMandri said, "We believe that wind did play a factor." However, DOB and OSHA are investigating the Rosebank site. An experienced construction worker told the Advance the wall didn't seem secure, "It was just a matter of time before that wall went down... If there was heavy wind, you would see it wobble."

In NJ, trees caused two fatalities. In the morning, 61-year-old Maureen Carse was driving in Mountainside was impaled when a tree fell and went through her windshield. Later in the afternoon, a woman was killed when struck by a tree branch in Newark. And on Long Island, a grade-crossing gate was whipped from its mooring and into a Long Island Rail Road train. Eight people aboard the train were injured by the glasses.