STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — Photos show the cascade of destruction on one block in Fort Wadsworth caused by a ferocious storm that wreaked havoc on Staten Island, felling trees and knocking out power to over 17,800 customers on Friday.\n\nCon Edison announced that service was restored by Saturday morning to nearly all of the customers who lost power during the storm that pummeled the borough with heavy rain and high winds at the heart of the evening rush hour.\n\nThe East Shore was particularly hard hit with power outages, downed trees and non-functioning traffic signals.\n\nA storm brought down a tree, a utility pole and wires on Merle Place near Fingerboard Road in Fort Wadsworth on Friday, July 25, 2025. Tree limbs and branches landed on parked cars.\n\nPictures taken on Merle Place in Fort Wadsworth show that a huge tree split at its trunk and became entangled in a utility pole. Portions of both the tree and cracked pole hung precariously over the curb and sidewalk.\n\nLarge limbs and branches from the tree landed on cars parked on the street. Downed wires, branches and other debris created hazardous conditions on the sidewalk and roadway.\n\nDuring Friday’s storm, toppled trees that brought down power lines were reported at locations along the East Shore, including Henry Place and Burgher Avenue in Dongan Hills and Prescott Avenue and Clawson Street in New Dorp.\n\nA tree felled on Garretson and Magnolia avenues in Dongan Hills prompted an FDNY response.\n\nMeanwhile, a large tree that was toppled on Greeley Avenue and Clawson Street brought down power lines as well.\n\nA tree that fell on Garretson and Magnolia avenues in Dongan Hills prompted an FDNY response.\n\nMeanwhile, a large tree that was toppled on Greeley Avenue and Clawson Street brought down power lines as well.\n\nA tree that fell on Fremont Avenue in Grant City damaged two vehicles that were parked on the block, and a tree was snapped near its base on Mill Road and Isernia Avenue in New Dorp Beach.\n\nThe storm caused significant issues for commuters. Staten Island Railway suspended service between St. George and Grasmere for about 45 minutes due to a tree on the tracks.\n\nBecause of high winds, the upper level of the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge was closed in both directions for about an hour, according to the city’s Notify NYC alert system.\n\nThe bridge was re-opened and full Staten Island Railway service was restored just after 5:20 p.m.\n\nTraffic lights at some of the borough’s busiest intersections were out during the evening rush Friday, including Hylan Boulevard and New Dorp Lane and Richmond Road and New Dorp Lane, both in New Dorp.\n\nA row of traffic lights wasn’t functioning on Richmond Road, from Todt Hill Road to at least New Dorp Lane.\n\nMany of the outages appeared to be on the East Shore, impacting neighborhoods that include Grasmere, Dongan Hills, Ocean Breeze, Midland Beach, Grant City, New Dorp and Oakwood.\n\nCon Edison reduced voltage in parts of the East Shore in the aftermath of the storm and asked customers to limit their use of washers, dryers, air conditioners and other energy-intensive equipment, according to Notify NYC\n\nThe utility’s crews worked throughout the night to bring the lights back for most residents and businesses on Staten Island and in Brooklyn, with full restoration expected on Saturday, according to Con Edison. \n\nAs of 6 a.m. Saturday, 255 Island customers remained without power. By that time, crews in Brooklyn had restored more than 2,200 of the 2,800 affected customers.

Storm damage on Staten Island: Photos show destruction on Fort Wadsworth block

A severe storm on July 25, 2025, caused widespread destruction on Staten Island, including downed trees, power outages affecting 17,800 customers, and traffic disruptions. Con Edison restored power to nearly all customers by Saturday morning, though 255 remained without electricity as of 6 a.m. on Saturday.