Tropical Storm Isaias wreaks havoc in Wantagh-Seaford

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Tropical Storm Isaias rolled across Nassau County Tuesday afternoon with relatively little rain but with sustained winds in the 30 to 50 mph range, with some gusts in excess of 70 mph, downing trees throughout the region, with some falling on homes.

A train became disabled at the Wantagh train station shortly before the Long Island Rail Road shut down all service on all lines amid the storm.

Trees fell throughout the Wantagh-Seaford area.

Power outages were reported in western Nassau, in communities like Valley Stream, Franklin Square, Lynbrook and Rockville Centre, along with eastern Nassau in places like Levittown and Wantagh-Seaford. As of 5 p.m. Tuesday, PSEG reported the following:

"Tropical Storm Isaias was one of the strongest to reach the service area in years, causing widespread, severe damage. Some outages could last for an extended period. Strong winds and hazardous gusts downed trees, branches and wires, currently affecting more than 368,000 of our 1.1 million customers across Long Island and the Rockaways. We have already restored power to more than 36,000 customers."

The villages of Freeport and Rockville Centre have their own power companies, and widespread outages were reported in Rockville Centre as of Tuesday evening.

The storm shut down the Long Island Rail Road throughout the afternoon. A message on the LIRR site states, "LIRR service is suspended systemwide due to high winds and hazardous conditions caused by Tropical Storm Isais, including fallen trees, downed utility poles and power outages. We will resume service as soon as conditions safely allow."

Forecasters had predicted two to four inches of rain Tuesday afternoon, but Isaias stayed more to the west, striking in New Jersery and upstate New York with heavy rain. Long Island was lashed by the storm's outer rain and wind bands, reducing the precipitation total.

The storm also hit during low tide, reducing flooding in low-lying areas.