If you stepped outside yesterday, you know it was extremely windy. While the Department of Buildings did warn contractors and property owners to secure their buildings and building materials, there were reports of scaffolding and building collapses—and a two-by-four slammed into the head of a Brooklyn man walking on Mermaid Avenue. Lonnie White said he thought he was scalped at first, "It was crazy wind. It just hit me upside the head. I grabbed my head and looked up I thought someone might have thrown something."
White received five stitches and added, "I’m lucky I have a hard head it probably would have fractured my skull otherwise." With winds recorded at 41 MPH in Central Park, the Daily News reports, "In the city, the winds toppled construction materials and scaffolding and blew the rooftops from sheds. Crossing some streets was like entering a wind tunnel. Cabbies battled wind-tossed taxi doors. Some pedestrians even had sunglasses blow off their face." It also proved challenging for firefighters battling blazes.
A High Line staffer complained to the News, "Instead of chasing girls, I'm chasing my hat around because it has been flying off."
