State Sen. Mike Gianaris evaluating damage on 47th St. on Wednesday (Photo: QueensPost)
Nov. 3, 2012 By Christian Murray
Sunnyside is beginning to return to normal now that the streets have been cleared of downed trees and the No. 7 train service has been fully restored.
The storm hit on Tuesday and this neighborhood was considered lucky—spared of significant property damage and the loss of life. Since then, many of the large trees that fell across Sunnyside and Woodside have been cut up and carted away by the Parks Department. Additionally, with the subway back, the chaotic lines for Manhattan-bound buses should be alleviated.
The only significant problem that residents face is getting gasoline for their cars.
The city has been reasonably quick to respond to the crisis in Western Queens. By Wednesday evening, just a day after the storm, city workers had cleared 47th Street (between Skillman Ave. and 39th Ave.) that had been closed off to traffic. On Thursday, the downed trees on 48th and 49th Streets (btw. Skillman and 39th Ave.) had also been cleared, allowing those blocks to reopen.
“It’s a credit to the Parks Department that they were out the next day taking care of these trees,” said Mike Gianaris, this neighborhood’s state senator.
Gianaris said that while Sunnyside and Woodside were extremely fortunate compared to other areas, he is glad that Western Queens was not neglected by the city after the storm. He said that the city had stepped up.
Jimmy Van Bramer said his office received 75 reports of flooding, downed power lines and downed trees—across Sunnyside/Woodside and Long Island City. The flooding problems were particularly acute in Long Island City, where floodwater rose over Gantry State Park destroying several businesses and leaving some condos with significant damage.
One great loss in Long Island City was the Waterfront Crabhouse, a historic icon, which was destroyed. Meanwhile, several up-market condos–such as the PowerHouse and The Foundry–were flooded.
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5 Comments
I hope there is help for the Rockaways and Staten Island. Very sad.
I am amazed how fast they have managed to get so much of the system up and running. If you’ve seen photos and videos of the damage, it is a bit of a miracle. While I normally rant and rave at all the service disruptions, particularly on the 7 line, this week I have nothing but praise and gratitude for their efforts. Thank you!
Fina-fu©king-lly.
Thanks for the great job of reporting this very importnat information to our town….
Thank You MTA workers and Joe Lhota