Town Of Islip Preparing For Storm Grayson

ISLIP, NY -Town Officials are preparing for winter storm Grayson, which set to hit Long Island early Thursday, bringing anywhere between 5 to 11 inches of snow before it ends Thursday evening.

Supervisor Angie Carpenter, along with Public Safety and Department of Public Works personnel, implemented storm preparation procedures Wednesday, and were in constant communication with school superintendents, preparing for possible school and recreation center closings Thursday.

“We’re in storm preparation mode,” Carpenter siad. “Temperatures are expected to drop into the single digits, with wind chills making the ‘feel-like’ temperature negative double digits."

Residents are advised to keep cars off the roadways, so that Town equipment can pass safely and effectively, remove basketball hoops from the streets, and stay indoors, unless absolutely essential that you go outside.

"We want our residents and our crews to weather this storm safely,” Carpenter said.

The Town of Islip DPW is prepared with 15,000 tons of salt and 10,000 yards of sand/salt mixture. When the Town’s plow operation is implemented, more than 400 plows, including the Town’s Parks and Waste Management division, will be fueled, loaded with material and on the road.

Snow team crews have been sanding roadways and runways at Long Island MacArthur Airport.

Southwest Airlines has already cancelled all departing flights on Thursday. Frontier Airlines has cancelled all departing flights Wednesday and Thursday.

Travelers are advised to check with their individual carriers before heading to the airport. Town

Public Safety Officials have been closely monitoring the storm’s track, and project less than two inches overnight, however, an additional 7 inches are expected to fall between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. Thursday, for a total of 9 inches by early evening.

North winds, between 21 mph to 28 mph, with gusts as high as 44mph, are expected. Snow drifts could reach anywhere between 12 to 24 inches.

High temperatures will only reach near 28 degrees, with wind chill values between 10 and 15 degrees, and dropping to between -10 and zero on Thursday night.

Garbage collection will begin an hour earlier at 5 a.m., and will continue for as long as it is safe for collectors to remain on the roads. All senior centers will be closed Thursday, January 4.

In addition, all senior citizen programs and transportation will be suspended.

Town of Islip Recreation Center closures will follow school district closings, as they are the facility that provides childcare programs.

The following are the school districts in which town programs operate:

• Brentwood Recreation Center: Brentwood School District
• Bohemia and Ronkonkoma Recreation Centers: Connetquot School District
• Cape Cod Learning Center: East Islip School District
• Central Islip Recreation Center: Central Islip School District
• Greenbelt Recreation Center: Sachem School District
• Sayville LEAP, Cherry Ave Elementary: Sayville School District
• West Islip Community Center: West Islip School District

Residents can visit the Town’s website at www.islipny.gov and Facebook page for updates. Please call the Town’s Office of Constituent Services to report an issue at 631-224-5380.