Hurricane Irene knocks out power for almost 1 million New Yorkers; city recovers from storm damage
Pete Donohue, Larry Mcshane and Corky Siemaszko, DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITERS
New Yorkers went back to work by the millions Monday as the subway system sprang back to life and the city continued cleaning up from Hurricane Irene.
The much-feared morning-commute disaster failed to materialize as transit workers quickly wrapped up safety inspections and got trains running again by about 5:40 a.m. following the nearly two-day shutdown caused by Irene.
Mayor Bloomberg had predicted "people will scream," but most New Yorkers - at least those not soaked by floodwaters - appeared to be taking delays in stride and carrying on as if the stormy weekend was a distant memory.
Bus service was restored on Sunday and ridership was reportedly heavy, especially out in hard-hit eastern Queens and Brooklyn.
It was not clear when Metro-North and NJTransit would return to normal service, but PATH trains were running on schedule and packed with New Jersey commuters looking for a way into the city.
"Welcome back," said a smiling police officer near the World Trade Center worksite, greeting startled commuters crossing Church Street.
The Long Island Rail Road, which shut down on Saturday, was also running some trains Monday, though delays were reported.
Wall Street and the rest of the Financial District reopened for business and tourists who had been scared off by the storm began trickling back.
Broadway shows shuttered for the weekend were expected to return to the stage Monday night, and the distinctive bustle was back at Times Square.
But all was not well in Gotham.
Utility companies were still scrambling to deal with widespread power failures. At its peak, Irene left 174,000 customers in the city and Westchester County in the dark. About 131,500 remained without power Sunday night.
Con Ed warned the power might not come back until midnight Monday as high winds hampered repair efforts.
Statewide, more than 936,000 customers lost power, including 460,000 on Long Island. In New Jersey, 650,000 people were without power and PSE&G warned that some customers in Essex County might not get their service back for a while.
Many of the power failures were due to downed trees. The hurricane uprooted or split 719 trees - 336 in Queens and 219 in Brooklyn. Cops chased people out of Central Park on Sunday amid fears of falling branches, which led to multiple deaths in other states.
There was flooding in several neighborhoods, including in Howard Beach, Queens; in Hudson River Park on the West Side; on a pair of East Side piers, and in Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn. But most streets were passable by Monday morning.
While Irene was downgraded to a tropical storm by the time it hit the city, it saved its last savage blows for Coney Island, which suffered flooding in spots.
Seven inches of rain were recorded in Central Park, making this the wettest August in city history.
Still, despite days of dire predictions, the city avoided the doomsday scenario of widespread blackouts, massive flooding and shattered skyscraper glass.
There were five New York State deaths, including that of a Spring Valley, Rockland County, man electrocuted while coming to the aid of a child on a flooded street with downed wires.
Another man died after an inflatable boat he was in with four friends capsized on the Croton River in Westchester last night, cops said.
Suffolk County cops were investigating the drowning of a 68-year-old man who went windsurfing in Bellport Bay near East Islip on Sunday. He was one at least 21 people in eight states killed by the hurricane - including a New Jersey woman who drowned in her car.
It was not clear if the death of a man found in the water at a City Island marina was weather-related.
There was at least one dramatic rescue: The FDNY grabbed 61 adults and three children after an overflowing lake in Staten Island's Willowbrook Park trapped them in 5 feet of water. No one was hurt as 50 firefighters in boats safely removed the residents.
With Lillian Rizzo, Erik Badia, Mark Morales, Sarah Armaghan, Lore Croghan, Alison Gendar, Reuven Blau, Barry Paddock and Tina Moore.
csiemaszko@nydailynews.com
