Hurricane Irene New York: Bronx Father of 13 Confirmed as Storm Fatality

A man from The Bronx who had thirteen children was confirmed as the only fatality in New York City from Hurricane Irene which swept through over the weekend.

Jose Sierra, 68, was found floating in a City Island marina on Sunday morning, just a few hours after the hurricane tore through the area.

According to the New York Post, Sierra, a plumber, arrived at the Sunset Marina at about 8 a.m. Sunday (during the peak of the storm) and checked on his boat which he had just bought last week.

The owner of the marina found Sierra’s body at about 4:40 p.m.

The marina owner told the New York Daily News: I saw his body, face up, hung on a line in between some boats. I was pretty upset. It's not something you see every day.

Sierra, who lived in Crotona Park East, is believed by local officials to have fallen into the water near his boat as fierce winds whipped by

Eric Irizarry, a brother-in-law, told the Daily News: “[Sierra] came alone. His wife told him not to leave, but he went anyway. He must have sneaked out.

He loved the water, Irizarry added. It's a tragedy. It didn't have to happen like this.

Sierra’s daughter Carmen told the Post: He was a fisherman, and he died doing what he loves. He was a self-made man. Everybody knows him for his kindness and his charity. After fishing, he would just give out the fish to people. He was a beautiful man.

Sierra’s cousin Denise Gonzalez, told the paper: He helped every house on the block for free. He did lots of plumbing for free.