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Residents in Delaware’s capital and on Long Island, New York, were picking up the pieces on Friday after tornadoes touched down during sudden storms that battered the north-eastern US with heavy rains and left dozens of people stranded in their cars during flash flooding.
In Atlantic Beach on Long Island, the long peninsula that stretches out into the ocean to the east of New York City, images posted on social media showed a large funnel cloud over the water and small buildings torn apart at a beach club.
A tornado touched down at the Sun & Surf Beach Club, leaving one person with minor injuries and major damage to at least 50 beach cabanas, according to the Nassau county chief fire marshal, Michael Uttaro.
The beach club was hosting a party with between 200 and 300 people when the storm hit and club members had started to evacuate before the tornado struck, fire officials told Newsday.
The Sun & Surf and Silver Point, another affected club, said they will be closed until further notice as damage is assessed.
The National Weather Service said a trained spotter also reported a tornado in Dover, Delaware, during Thursday evening’s storms. Pictures and video on social media show the roof of a motel being blown off and damage to other buildings along Route 13 north-east of downtown.
The mayor of Dover, Robin Christiansen, said a state of emergency was lifted on Friday morning to allow residents and businesses to resume normal activities. Police urged residents to be patient and set aside extra time for travel.
“There is still debris throughout the city, and crews will be out working on cleanup, repairs, and restoring services. You may encounter blocked lanes, utility crews, emergency personnel, and other delays,” local police said on social media.
Back in Long Island, the Nassau county executive, Bruce Blakeman, said first responders rescued people trapped in their vehicles during flooding.
In other parts of New York, flooding caused part of the Long Island Expressway in the borough of Queens to close in both directions, according to New York City emergency management. Photos on social media showed lines of stopped cars as emergency crews traversed the water.
In Jersey City, New Jersey, emergency crews rescued 69 people trapped in cars that were overtaken by flash flooding, said the mayor, James Solomon. Emergency crews used small inflatable boats to reach people who were stranded.
Tornadoes are relatively rare in the US north-east compared with the country’s interior.
The Associated Press contributed reporting
