Freak Twister Wallops Brooklyn

Looked like 'Wizard of Oz'
By Mary Papenfuss,  Newser Staff
Posted Aug 9, 2007 4:47 AM CDT
Freak Twister Wallops Brooklyn
Daniel Chen stands by his car that was damaged by debris from a collapsed roof in the Bay Ridge section of the Brooklyn borough of New York, Wednesday Aug. 8, 2007. Severe storms paralyzed the metropolitan area on Wednesday, ripping off roofs, shutting down flooded subways and claiming the life of a...   (Associated Press)

Trees were toppled, cars mangled and roofs ripped off houses when the first tornado in 118 years ripped through Brooklyn yesterday in the midst of a vicious storm that pummeled New York. Winds clocked speeds of 135 mph. "I thought it was 'The Wizard of Oz,'" said a stunned homeowner.

More than 40 buildings were shredded. The twister wreaked so much damage on a local park that it "looked like the site of a World War II artillery battle," said the parks commissioner. The twister was part of storm system that dumped close to 3 inches of rain on the city and brought subways to a screeching halt. (More Brooklyn stories.)

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