One Person Dead, Millions Without Power as Tropical Storm Isaias Slams Northeast

At least one person was dead and more than 3 million homes and businesses were without power across the Northeast Tuesday evening as Tropical Storm Isaias pummeled New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and surrounding states, unleashing tornadoes and flooding in its wake.

One person was killed by a falling tree in New York City. Police told WABC-TV that a 60-year-old man died when a tree fell on him in Queens.

More than 1.3 million of the power outages were in New Jersey alone, according to poweroutage.us. Gov. Phil Murphy declared a state of emergency and closed all state offices. Motorists were told to stay off the roads unless absolutely necessary.

(MORE: The Latest Forecast for Isaias)

More than 579,000 power outages were reported in New York as of about 6:15 p.m. Power Company Con Edison had more than 720 extra personnel on duty to restore power and clear trees from lines. Part of a building collapsed in Brooklyn, according to the New York Police Department.

A 78-mph wind gust was recorded at Battery Park, and trees were reported down all around the city.

There were reports of cars stranded in flooding in Albany.

Several train lines were shut down in New York and New Jersey.

More than 364,000 customers were without power in Pennsylvania, where a possible tornado tore the roof off a daycare center at a children's hospital and overturned cars in the parking lot.

Police in Philadelphia said a number of cars were stranded by high water in the city, according to KYW-TV. Flooding was also a big problem in nearby counties. KYW-TV reported that two children were rescued from a roof in Darby Borough as water from the Darby Creek flooded the town's center.

At least 392,000 outages were reported in Connecticut, where campers were evacuated from Hammonasset Beach State Park ahead of the storm.

Widespread outages were also happening in other parts of the region, including Massachusetts, where at least 148,000 customers lost power, and Rhode Island, where more than 130,000 reported outages.

Photos and video posted to social media showed damage earlier in the day in Marmora, New Jersey, near Ocean City, where a waterspout reportedly came ashore.

"We are all watching closely as this storm approaches. Obviously something we are very, very concerned about," de Blasio said in a news conference. "The most important message right now is everyone take this very seriously between the rain, flooding potential, the winds and, even again, a potential tornado, that’s a lot. Don’t go outside if you don’t need to during the height of this storm."

Emergency Management Commissioner Deanne Criswell advised those living in high rises to stay out of elevators during a tornado warning.

Staten Island Ferry service is suspended from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. and swimming and wading is prohibited at city beaches.

In Delaware, Police in Dover responded to multiple reports of tornado damage in the city Tuesday morning.

"Traffic is severely impacted by downed trees, power lines and a large power outage throughout the city," the police department said on Twitter.

Police Sgt. Mark Hoffman told weather.com some homes and businesses sustained damage, but there were no immediate reports of injuries.

The mayor declared a state of emergency and asked residents to stay in their homes and avoid unnecessary travel.

Several semi trucks were blown over on Route 13 in Townsend, Delaware, WCAU-TV reported.

More than 58,000 customers were without power in the state at the height of the storm. About 45,000 were still out as of 4:15 p.m. EDT.

Isaias made landfall near Ocean Isle Beach, North Carolina, as a Category 1 hurricane late Monday night. Since then, there have been more than a dozen reports of tornadoes up the East Coast to New Jersey.

Besides the death in New York City, at least five other people have been killed by Isaias, including two early Tuesday morning by a tornado in North Carolina and a man in Maryland who died when a tree fell on him. Two people died as the storm battered the Dominican Republic late last week.

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