A state of emergency for eight counties was declared on Friday, September 25, by New York Governor Kathy Hochul — covering all five boroughs of New York City as well as Nassau, Suffolk, and Westchester counties. “We expect dangerous coastal flooding, strong winds, and possible power outages throughout the weekend. Take this storm seriously,” Hochul wrote. That same day, starting at 5:00 PM, a state of emergency in eight counties (Atlantic, Burlington, Cape May, Cumberland, Middlesex, Monmouth, Ocean, Salem) was declared by New Jersey Governor Mikie Sherrill, who appealed: “I ask all New Jersey residents to take this storm seriously, stay safe, and prepare. Charge your phones, secure loose objects.” A day earlier, on September 24, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani issued a travel advisory effective from Friday at 2:00 PM through Sunday morning.
Wind, Heavy Rains, and Storm Surge
According to the State of New York, wind gusts reached up to 60 mph, rainfall totaled 1.5 to 3 inches (up to 5 inches in parts of eastern Long Island), and waves on eastern Long Island reached 15–22 feet. In New York City proper, City Hall expected 2–3 inches of rain (locally up to 4–5 inches), gusts of 40–50 mph peaking Friday night into Saturday, and coastal flooding during Friday evening and Saturday morning high tides (window 7:30–8:40 AM). The most vulnerable areas included the Rockaways, Jamaica Bay, the coasts of Staten Island and Brooklyn, Flushing Bay, and the Battery area.
Fatality and Power Outages
On Saturday at around 3:30 PM in the East New York neighborhood of Brooklyn, a tree fell on a man near the Cypress Hills Houses — the victim, an employee of the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA), died at the hospital from his injuries. As of Sunday morning (6:30 AM), more than 24,000 PSEG customers on Long Island, nearly 5,000 JCP&L customers in New Jersey, over 1,500 Orange & Rockland customers, and over 1,000 Con Edison customers were without power; the highest number of outages in the city proper was recorded in Queens. LaGuardia Airport suspended departing flights on Sunday morning until 9:15 AM, with over a hundred flight delays.
Canceled and Postponed Events
The storm disrupted plans for numerous events, some of which take place in neighborhoods inhabited by a large Polish community. The Global Citizen Festival in Central Park was canceled for the first time in 14 years — with no replacement date this year, it will return in 2027. The Brooklyn Ragamuffin Parade was postponed from September 27 to October 3, and the Atlantic Antic from Sunday to October 4. The All Things Go music festival at Forest Hills Stadium was canceled entirely, with automatic ticket refunds. Horse racing at Belmont Park was canceled for Saturday and Wednesday, with the track resuming operations on Wednesday. The Giants’ Sunday game at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey remained as scheduled.
Official Recommendations
- Never enter or drive through floodwaters.
- Basement and cellar residents: know multiple exit routes and be prepared to move to a higher floor.
- Move vehicles from flood-prone areas well in advance.
- Secure garden and balcony items that could be blown away by the wind.
- Avoid trees, power lines, and construction sites during high winds; never touch downed power lines.
- Charge phones and medical equipment in case of a power outage; in New York City, you can sign up for alerts by texting your neighborhood name to 333111.
After the storm passes, many residents will be checking roofs, basements, and fences for damage — verified Polish renovation and repair specialists can be found in the Polish Pages directory.
