Tornado Warning in Queens 2012: Residents Flee as New York Twister Sparks Panic (VIDEO)
A tornado warning was issued for New York on Saturday with one touching down in both Queens and Brooklyn, destroying properties and causing terrified residents to shelter from the sudden strong winds.
At around 11 a.m. a black funnel cloud could be seen in the region, with strong whistling winds blaring throughout south Brooklyn and Queens. It is believed that the storm touched down on the Rockaway Peninsula and Carnarsie.
Local residents have described fleeing into their basements to get away from the storm as it lifted and threw around all sorts of debris in the unsuspecting region.
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One resident reported, "It was very scary. People around here are just freaking out," according to The NY Daily News.
Patio furniture was lifted up and thrown around by the strong winds, and sidings from some homes were completely ripped off. The tornado lasted several minutes according to some reports, leaving windows broken in neighborhoods and trees felled in others.
Children's garden toys can be seen in the middle of streets having been picked up by the twister and thrown high into the sky before landing.
In a NY Daily News report Alice Marie, a retired public relations agent from Breezy Point described: "I saw the whirling winds carrying things past my window. There was furniture and a surfboard flying through the air."
The strong storm winds also affected the U.S. Open taking place in Queens. The match between Andy Murray and Tomas Berdych was affected with both players struggling to control their shots amid the strong winds. Numerous times Berdych was visibly affected and stopped as he was about to serve as the ball moved around after he had thrown it up. In another instance one of Berdych's serves didnt even land in the court, flying over Andy Murray's head. That match, however, was completed with Andy Murray winning in four sets to get him through to his second U.S. Open final.
But the match between David Ferrer and Novak Djokovic was postponed mid-way through the first set when Djokovic repeatedly complained about the adverse wind conditions. Their game will resume on Sunday with the final now moved to Monday. The women's final was also postponed today and will be moved to Sunday.
