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Flooding causes major NYC transit meltdown 
Confusion rules streets, subways as morning commute shattered

Fast-moving storms caused major flooding Wednesday morning that overwhelmed New York's subway system. In the end, thousands of people were left scratching their heads and wiping sweat from their brows as they found themselves stuck in sizzling heat searching for alternate ways to travel.

It was, as online news guru Matt Drudge characterized it on his popular Web site, The Drudge Report, which linked to wcbstv.com's coverage of the event, "The Morning The Sky Fell In NYC."

Confusion ruled the streets and the subways, as the morning ritual was shattered and New Yorkers became urban refugees. For most, it was inconvenient, but for at least one person, the storm was deadly.

At an afternoon news conference, Mayor Bloomberg confirmed that one woman was killed on Staten Island in the storm.

"A woman driving on Staten Island got stuck on an underpass and another car came along and hit her. The police commissioner informed me that we arrested the driver, who had a suspended license," Bloomberg said.

No other serious injuries were reported because of the storm, he added.

Bloomberg spoke after touring the Bay Ridge section of Brooklyn which felt the brunt of the storm. Officials from the National Weather Service surveyed the area to see if a tornado had touched down after dozens of trees, power lines and rooftops were tossed about the streets.

If a tornado did strike, it would be the first tornado ever to hit Brooklyn, and just the fourth tornado in the history of New York City.

It certainly appeared as if a tornado blew through, with many houses and businesses in Brooklyn sustaining all sorts of damages from torn awnings to broken windows.

"Roughly 40 buildings are damaged seriously. There are lots of buildings that have minor damage. If I had to guess from walking down the street there's gotta be 100 automobiles [damaged]," he said.

Floodwaters reached the third rail in several tunnels along the miles of city subway lines, spurring a shutdown of the major subway lines that run under New York City.

Straphangers said that they were advised to find alternate means of transportation, which effectively stranded thousands on their way to work with no other option but to head home or wait out the suspensions.

"The subway system was chaotic this morning," Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly said.

Inside subway stations throughout the city, commuters were confronted with incomprehensible announcements.

Above ground, bus stops were filled with people who waited and waited, as one bus after another rolled by with signs that read: "Next Bus Please."

It was a chaotic scene that most people took in stride. But it was brutally hot, people were late for work and tempers started to rise.

"Everyone's gotta walk, and we pay so much money for the trains. It's ridiculous," one frustrated subway rider told CBS 2 News.

Every single line of the subway system has been affected by the delays, and officials expected residual delays to last well into the afternoon as a result.

That was little consolation for those forced to sweat out delays in the wet and sticky conditions inside subway stations and on train platforms.

"Katrina's sister came through, and she was upset," one man told CBS 2 News.

The sun is now shining and the major rains have long past, but the delays remain.

The LIRR announced a contingency plan in light of the delays:

Eastbound NYC Transit customers from the Queens Boulevard subway lines are expected to use LIRR service and/or buses. The LIRR will cancel and combine some trains to produce capacity for dedicated shuttle train service stopping at Penn Station, Woodside, Forest Hills, Kew Gardens and Jamaica. While the shuttle service is in place, some trains to Long Island will not make local stops at Woodside, Forest Hills and Kew Gardens. Specific announcements will be made at Penn Station. Additional NYC Transit and LIRR personnel will be assigned to key locations to provide customer assistance.

Customers at Penn Station will experience numerous track changes and are advised not to descend to the platform until their train has been posted. Customers should expect lines and delays. LIRR staff and MTA Police will regulate the flow of customers onto trains, but expect crowding.

If possible, customers should stagger their work hours to avoid travel at peak times.

The LIRR will accommodate subway customers with MetroCard.

City roadways weren't much better.

"It's a mess downtown, all south of Houston Street is a parking lot," one driver said.

After closing down all service through Grand Central Terminal, service was later restored on the Hudson, Harlem and New Haven Lines through the Mott Haven area.

All service is operating through the area slowly and customers will be significantly delayed coming into Grand Central Terminal.

There is limited Hudson Line service from Grand Central Terminal. There continues to be no service out of Grand Central Terminal on the Harlem or New Haven lines because of earlier flooding in the Bronx.

After earlier suspensions on the Port Washington branch, the Long Island Rail Road reports that there are only scattered 10-15 minute delays systemwide.has suspended service on the Port Washington Branch because of flooding in Bayside.

Earlier this morning, there were delays of up to 90 minutes at John F. Kennedy International Airport and about an hour at La Guardia due to the earlier storms. The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey tells CBS 2 that JFK is experiencing 40 minute departure delays; LaGuardia has 30 minute departure delays and Newark Liberty has one hour departure delays. None of the airports is reporting any delays on arrivals.