Long Islanders are cleaning up after a powerful storm brought heavy rain, flooding and damaging winds across the area Thursday. 
Streets turned into rivers, trees came crashing downand some homeowners are counting their blessings after close calls.
In Lindenhurst, Keith Powell found himself using a kayak to get his two young children home safely after floodwaters filled South Eighth Street.
“It was unexpected,” Powell said. “We expect the unexpected here, but my wife looked out the window at 2:30 p.m. — the street was clear. By 3:30 p.m., we were about to lose a car.”
Elsewhere, strong winds toppled a large tree in Coram, sending it crashing onto the roof of a senior citizen apartment building on George Link Junior Circle.
“It scared me to death,” said resident Robert Romano, who was inside his apartment when the tree fell.
Romano showed visible cracks in his ceiling but said he’s grateful no one was injured.
“It’s like a five-ton tree,” he said. “If that thing would have come through, it could have killed me. I’m still sitting here counting my blessings.”
The next round of storms is expected to bring intense winds — potentially affecting Halloween plans across the region.