This archive report was first published on 3 November 2019.
Published on November 3, 2019, a storm that brought high winds and heavy rains slammed swaths of the Northeast, claiming the life of a priest in Northern New York, flooding roads and leaving hundreds of thousands without power.
According to officials, as of Saturday morning, more than 241,000 buildings and homes in New York were without electricity, and nearly 60 roads were closed. Governor Andrew M. Cuomo declared states of emergency for 12 New York counties, many of them in the North Country.
The storm struck parts of Western New York on Thursday and moved across northern parts of the state into Friday, with gusts of up to 70 miles per hour, leaving a wake of flooded roadways and power losses.
Two-hundred members of the National Guard and 5,000 power company workers were dispatched to help. Governor Cuomo urged all New Yorkers to exercise extreme caution and only travel if necessary.
Tragically, Father J. Thomas Connery, 82, of the Diocese of Albany, died in Norway, N.Y., after getting caught in floodwaters on Thursday night. The State Police said Father Connery drove his 2017 Ford Fusion through a flooded area, barely making it through, but the car got stuck, and when he exited the vehicle and tried to walk through the waters, he lost his footing and was washed downstream.
Bishop Edward B. Scharfenberger said in a statement, 'Father Tom lived and died amidst the storm waters of life across which he led countless souls.'
Other areas affected by the storm included Essex County in the Adirondacks, where the Bouquet River rose beyond its banks, coming within feet of the Halfway House Motel and Restaurant in Elizabethtown, N.Y. The owner, Steve Cross, said it rained overnight on Thursday, and it was like 'a cloud burst up in the mountain,' forcing the roads around the motel and restaurant to close on Thursday night and during the day on Friday.
Meanwhile, in Maine, powerful winds knocked down trees, littered roads with debris, and left thousands without electricity. Central Maine Power crews and contractors worked to clear roads and restore power, but the wind storm continued throughout Friday, causing new power failures.
