New York – Thousands of homes and businesses from Maryland to Maine had no electricity Sunday as a storm system blasted the region with wind gusting to more than 50 mph, knocking over trees and a tall construction crane. The storm was blamed for two deaths.
Gusts as high as 70 mph were possible Sunday in parts of northern New York state, the National Weather Service said.
A tree toppled by the wind killed a motorcyclist in Massachusetts, police said. In New Hampshire, one man was missing after falling off a cruise ship on Lake Winnipesaukee during the storm late Saturday, and one man drowned when his kayak overturned on a rain-swollen river, state officials said.
In hard-hit Maine, a 165-foot crane with a wrecking ball attached toppled in one of the most populous neighborhoods of Portland, falling on three houses. No injuries were reported.
The wrecking ball narrowly missed a car.
“The first thing I saw was the ball coming down really fast about 10 feet from us. It hit the roadway, and the rest of the crane just fell on the buildings in front of us,” said Colleen Mowatt, 48, of Gorham, Maine, whose boyfriend hit the brakes in the nick of time.
Utilities in Maine reported 44,000 customers still without power at midday Sunday.
