Cleanup continues in Suffolk after pop-up storm snaps power lines, topples trees

At least one roadway remained shut down Friday evening in Suffolk County after Thursday night's surprise storm.

News 12 Staff

Jul 15, 2022, 9:18 AM

Updated 661 days ago

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At least one roadway remained shut down Friday evening in Suffolk County after Thursday night's surprise storm.
Smithtown Boulevard in Lake Ronkonkoma was closed as of 10 p.m. Friday as crews worked to fix utility lines and remove debris.
Heavy rain, gusty winds and hail hit areas, toppling trees and snapping power lines. The storm hit areas of Lake Ronkonkoma, Centereach and Selden.
Dylan and Kim Pacer, of Lake Ronkonkoma, had a large tree branch land on their car in the driveway. Their vehicle was crushed, but everyone was OK after sheltering in the basement.
"It was just unexpected - don't really know what to think," says Dylan Pacer. "We're just happy everyone is safe. The cats are safe, the dog is safe, our family's safe."
Linda Rocke lost power for over a day after the destructive storm rolled in. She was concerned about losing food in her refrigerator and being without air conditioning after her generator ran out of gas.
"This is unreal - being so long without electricity," Rocke says. "There's no air conditioning and so forth, so it's difficult."
Rocke regained power around 8 p.m. Friday.
At one point, PSEG Long Island says more than 9,000 homes were without power from the storm across Long Island. News 12 is told only a handful of homes were still without power by Friday evening.
The National Weather Service confirms it was straight-line winds from several microbursts and not a tornado.
See photos from the storm below:
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