New York commuters beat a wary path to work on Thursday, the day after a freak storm plunged the city into chaos, felling trees, flooding roads and jamming the city’s vast underground train network.
Streets were blocked by fallen trees, wrecked cars and rubble from damaged homes after the brief but fierce storm on Wednesday, which unleashed a mini-tornado, sending strong winds raging through the neighbourhood of Brooklyn.
One woman was killed when her car got stuck in a flooded underpass and at least half a dozen people were injured, media reported.
Trains and flights were delayed, while some heavily used roads were under water. Worst affected was the underground system, with most lines out of service in the morning rush hour, leaving millions of commuters stranded.
Most lines were restored during the day after the water knocked out signals, but the New York Times, citing transport officials, said some problems could last into Thursday.
New York state governor Eliot Spitzer ordered the transport authority to investigate how rain had caused the transport system to fail for the third time. — AFP
