As part of Fleet Week festivities, there have been military helicopter demonstrations in various city parks, but at today's demo in Cloves Lake Park on Staten Island, things didn't go as planned. As Haz Tweeted, "Osprey helicoper blows down tree and tree branches land on people hanging out!" We hear that 10 people—all civilians—were injured and some were taken to the hospital. more ›

After a pedestrian was killed by a falling tree in Central Park and other incidents of downed trees (including a few on Fifth Avenue), the city's Office of Emergency Management relays this message: "The Parks Department is advising people to avoid public parks this evening and use caution near street trees. Report fallen trees to 311." more ›

The toll for trees lost in Tuesday's sudden thunderstorm now stands at 500, at least. The NY Times watched the Parks Department's "arboreal trauma team [fan] out through the hardest-hit sections of Central Park and Riverside Park, mapping the devastation for hard decisions ahead"—as in, whether trees will have to be taken down. Several hundred trees were downed in Central Park; "Riverside Park lost 65, Randalls Island lost 35, Thomas Jefferson Park in East Harlem, 3." Trees planted decades ago—Parks Commissioner Adrian Benepe said two buckeyes, damaged from the store, were probably from the 1920s or 1930s, "but we won’t know until the ring count"—are lost and are being mulched. The Parks Department replace them soon and Benepe said, "Our grandchildren will get to see them." more ›

The acting chief of medicine at Metropolitan Hospital was killed yesterday when strong winds uprooted a tree that crushed his car. Dr. John Corser was instantly killed, but somehow, his two children, ages 4 and 8, in the backseat were spared. more ›