Brooklyn and Queens residents clean up after tornadoes
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By GLENN WILBURN, MyFoxNY.com Producer -
MYFOXNY.COM -
Residents of Brooklyn and Queens are trying to access the damage following two terrifying tornadoes that ripped through parts of the two boroughs Saturday.
The tornadoes toppled roofs, tipping trees and made some beachgoers in the Breezy Point section head for safety. A few minutes later, another tornado rumbled through Canarsie.
Some of the damage was so bad residents were forced to evacuate their homes.
The first twister made landfall at around 11:00 a.m. on Breezy Point at the far end of the Rockaways after forming as a waterspout. The National Weather Service sent a team out to the area Saturday to assess the damage and determine how strong the tornado was on a scale of 0 to 5.
The American Red Cross checked on damaged homes, NYC Parks Dept. workers tossed downed branches into a wood chipper. Police Commissioner Ray Kelly also visited the area.
Mayor Michael Bloomberg was asked about his reaction to the tornadoes Sunday morning.
"I'm glad nobody was hurt and I heard the damage was minimal – but the most important thing was nobody was hurt," said Bloomberg.
No one was injured in either borough but there were downed power lines, overturned grills and shards of roof tossed across neighborhoods.
The powerful storm brought traffic to a stand-still on the Belt Parkway and stunned drivers.
"Nature is something that is very powerful and we should pay attention, especially the Office of Emergency Management who tries to get the word out when there is the potential for severe weather," said Bloomberg.
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USDA photo
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