Updated 09/09/2012 05:47 PM
Brooklyn, Queens Locals Clean Up Damage From Two Tornadoes
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Cleanup efforts continued in Brooklyn and Queens on Sunday, a day after tornadoes roared through parts of both boroughs, and residents were relieved to know that no one was reported injured by the twisters.
Trees were uprooted in Canarsie when an F-1 twister tore through the area, packing winds up to 110 mph.
The streets were littered with broken trees and branches.
The skylight of one family's home was broken by the tornado, but local residents said what's important is that everyone is okay.
"When they say down south 'like a roaring train,' that's exactly what it was like, like a roaring train," said Canarsie resident Gloria Mannina.
"Lucky it didn't hit any cars, lucky no one got hurt. That's the main thing," said Canarsie resident Gasper "Chubby" Mannina.
"I lost parts from the gazebo. I have an arch there that went down. Parts of the siding came off, a few windows blew out and parts of the roof," said Canarsie resident Theresa Fraser.
Another Canarsie resident, Zorina Khan, said the winds peeled her daughters roof open like an orange, soaking the upstairs apartment and leaving gaping holes in the ceiling.
"The back door flew open and she felt like she was being sucked into a vacuum," said Khan. "A huge block of concrete fell down like two feet from where the baby was sleeping. Really lucky that nobody got hurt."
Insurance adjusters also surveyed the scene, an unlikely one for the area.
"This is the first tornado damage that we've been called out on," said Michael Mondrone of Statewide Adjustment.
Even before those assessments could begin, the Department of Buildings came through. Gloria Mannina was surprised to find a violation notice on her door, just hours after the storm sent large stone tiles crashing down from her roof.
"The tornado did this. We didn't do this," she said.
A spokesperson for the DOB said the violations are simply meant to document that damage that was done. The agency said there are no fines and that homeowners just need to have the repairs done as soon as they can.
Other parts of Brooklyn were also affected by the storm.
Pictures show tree branches were snapped off in Bergen Beach and one branch even crashed through the windshield of a car.
This is the third tornado to hit Brooklyn since 2007.
Between 1985 and 2000, only three tornadoes touched down in the entire city.
Before the Brooklyn twister touched down, another tornado with estimated winds of 70 mph ripped through part of Queens.
Amateur video shows the funnel cloud in Breezy Point, which the National Weather Service estimates was 50 yards wide and 600 feet long.
The twister touched down at the Breezy Point Surf Club, where it ripped shingles off roofs and tossed around tables and barbecue equipment. But only about 16 of the club's 600 cabanas were damaged.
Not all New Yorkers stayed indoors during the storms.
As the clouds moved toward Brooklyn, NY1 found some intrepid kite-boarders and wind-surfers testing their mettle near Plum Beach in Brooklyn.
One beachgoer told NY1 he just had to give it a shot.
"It's really consistent. I'm surprised, it's a good quality wind. It's really fun. It's a steady wind, not gusty, so it's pretty good," he said.
According to one kite-boarding website, one only really needs winds of 12 to 15 mph to get a good height.
Kite-boarders hitting the waves at city beaches are playing at their own risk, because city lifeguards are off-duty until next summer.
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