Long Island Digs Out From Blizzard, State Sends Help to Hard Hit Suffolk

Gov. Cuomo lifted a state-ordered travel ban for Long Island and the LIRR restarted service on Tuesday morning as the island began to dig out from a blizzard that dropped more than 2 feet of snow in some areas.

On the East End, which was hit the hardest by the storm, travel bans remained in place Tuesday evening in the towns of East Hampton and Southampton.

The storm had been predicted to bring 24-36 inches of snow across Long Island and New York City, but it became clear overnight that the blizzard was not treating everyone the same.

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The highest snowfall amounts were recorded in Suffolk County, with 30 inches in Orient, 25.6 inches in Medford and 21.5 inches in North Babylon as of Tuesday night. As one moves west, the totals drop–17.8 inches in Massapequa, 15 inches in Merrick and just 7.8 inches in Central Park.

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“The story on Long Island was much different than what you are seeing here,” Cuomo said during a press conference in Manhattan Tuesday morning.

“Suffolk was hit much harder than Nassau was,” added Cuomo, who joined Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone at a press conference in Lindenhurst on Tuesday afternoon.

“While many parts of the region may feel like they dodged a bullet, that is not the case here in Suffolk County,” Bellone said.

The state is sending 500 pieces of snow-removal equipment to Suffolk County, along with 100 National Guard members, Cuomo said.

A travel ban that had been put in place on all Long Island roads at 11 p.m. Monday was first lifted for Nassau on Tuesday morning, with Suffolk’s ban lifted soon after.

LIRR service started to be restored at 9 a.m., with a full Sunday schedule then beginning at noon. The LIRR is expected to be back on a weekday schedule on Wednesday, with some exceptions.

There will be no Wednesday morning rush hour service between Montauk and Speonk, or between Greenport and Ronkonkoma, where the snowdrifts are highest, the LIRR said.

Many Long Island townships and villages declared states of emergency on Monday. Schools across the island were closed Tuesday and many will be closed once again on Wednesday.

Have photos from the storm? Post them in the comments section below or email them to ryan@patch.com (and note the location)

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