More than 70,000 customers were without electricity in the U.S. Northeast on Saturday, the effect of a powerful nor’easter expected to create dangerous conditions through the weekend.
asserted
customers → expect → weekend
Forecasters warned of gale winds that could down trees and heavy rain that could put roads underwater.
uncertain
that → warn → roads
Tens of millions of people are in the path of the storm, which was already beginning to lash the region.
asserted
which → begin → region
Dangerous flooding is expected along the Mid-Atlantic coast, particularly near New Jersey and Delaware, according to the National Weather Service.
uncertain
flooding → expect → Service
“This storm is expected to bring major coastal flooding to the Mid-Atlantic Coast over multiple high tide cycles through the weekend,” the weather service said Saturday.
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service → expect → weekend
In the coastal New Jersey borough of Surf City, water — with waves rippling along its surface — flooded the streets, inundating some homes.
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waves → ripple → homes
Kenny Formica, owner of Surf City Marina on the Jersey Shore, was trying to keep busy Saturday as he sat at home watching water rise inside his marina through surveillance cameras.
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water → try → cameras
Water getting inside the building is rare, Formica said.
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Formica → get → building
The last time he remembers it happening was during Hurricane Sandy, which he said caused more than $4 million in damage to his business.
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he → remember → business
Ahead of the storm, Formica said workers secured dock lines, moved loose items and equipment out of harm’s way and parked the marina’s trucks and forklifts at the highest point of the property.
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workers → say → property
By Saturday morning, even those were nearly surrounded by water.
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those → surround → water
Ahead of the storm, Formica said workers secured dock lines, moved loose items and equipment out of harm’s way and parked the marina’s trucks and forklifts at the highest point of the property.
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workers → say → property
By Saturday morning, even those were nearly surrounded by water.
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those → surround → water
Formica said he woke Saturday to messages from customers reporting missing boats and Jet Skis.
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he → say → boats
One customer sent him a video around 4 a.m. showing his 25-foot (7.6-meter) boat after it had blown off its lift.
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it → send → lift
“This is like an 8,000-pound boat and, you know, a $150,000 boat — just gone,” Formica said.
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Formica → know → boat
Cancellations are widespread in the Northeast
Concerts were canceled, along with dozens of flights going into airports in Boston, Nantucket, and Martha’s Vineyard on Friday and Saturday.
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Concerts → cancel → Friday
Several airlines were offering to waive some change or cancellation fees for some East Coast flights through the weekend.
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airlines → offer → weekend
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul urged people to use caution.
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Hochul → urge → caution
She said coastal flooding is the biggest threat, but it will also bring heavy rains, powerful winds, and waves as high as 20 feet (six meters).
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it → say → feet
“The rain is underway, and while it’s only half an inch or so thus far, mark my words: Much more is coming,” the governor said.
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governor → ’ → words
New Jersey communities prepare for major flooding
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communities → prepare → flooding
Brian Kelly, the mayor of the tiny New Jersey beach community Sea Bright, said the borough is bracing for winds up to 50 mph (80 kph) and flooding that could reach up to 6 feet (1.8 meters) on some streets.
uncertain
that → say → streets
Officials expect the flooding to start Saturday and worsen by midday.
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flooding → expect → midday
“It’s going to be worse than average.
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It → go → ?
We do have probably one or two flooding events a year, sometimes more, sometimes less, but I think this one will be closer to an Irene-scale flooding event,” Kelly said, referencing the 2011 storm that caused major flooding in the Northeast.
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that → have → Northeast
“I hope I’m wrong, but that’s my gut feeling.”
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that → hope → ?
Kelly hopes hundreds of residents living in low-lying areas will consider evacuating.
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hundreds → hop → areas
He said the town will open its recreation center for evacuees.
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town → say → evacuees
Damaging winds threaten coastal New England
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winds → threaten → England
Peak wind gusts could approach 60 to 65 mph (97 to 105 kph) on Cape Cod, Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket on Friday night and Saturday, compared with about 50 to 55 mph (80 to 89 kph) around Boston and 35 to 40 mph (56 to 64 kph) farther inland, according to Matthew Belk, a meteorologist with NWS in Norton, Massachusetts.
uncertain
gusts → approach → Norton
“It’s definitely going to be a case of the closer to the coast you are, the more impacts from the storm you’re likely to see,” Belk said.
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Belk → go → storm
Belk said nor’easters are not unusual as New England moves into fall, but one concern this early in the season is that leaves remain on the trees, creating more wind resistance.
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leaves → say → resistance
That could increase the risk of downed limbs, which in turn can cause power outages and leave debris in roads, he said.
uncertain
he → increase → roads
Along the Atlantic coasts of New Jersey and Delaware, wind gusts could reach 60 mph (96.6 kph), according to NWS.
uncertain
gusts → reach → NWS
In southeastern Connecticut and eastern Long Island, New York, gusts could get almost as high, potentially downing tree limbs and power lines.
uncertain
gusts → get → limbs
Storm disrupts concerts, baseball and flights
asserted
Storm → disrupt → concerts
Air travel was also being disrupted, with Boston particularly hard hit.
asserted
Boston → disrupt → ?
Flight-tracking service FlightAware reported 39 cancellations at Boston Logan International Airport between 6 a.m. and 10 a.m. Saturday, compared with 22 at New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport.
asserted
FlightAware → track → Airport
Another 12 flights were delayed at Logan.
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flights → delay → Logan
…and 9 more, not listed.
The Aporia
