‘Very Difficult, Hazardous’ Conditions In Suffolk: Exec

COMMACK, NY — As Suffolk was experiencing the heart of the storm on Saturday, County Executive Steve Bellone advised residents that the concern for officials as they move forward will be the continued cold temperatures and the accumulation of ice which will make it difficult to clean up and further hamper travel.

"We may not have reached the technical definition of blizzard yet, but if you are driving out on the roadways, if you are out there, you very much feel like you are in a blizzard," Bellone said Saturday at a news conference staged at the Department of Public Works salt yard in Commack. "These are very difficult, hazardous conditions."

As of about 8:30 a.m., the county had accumulated between 9 and 10 inches of snow, which was possibly "a little higher in certain areas of the county."

Predictions with this storm are that it will turn out a "little bit worse than we thought in terms of the accumulations when all is said and done," Bellone added.

On the west end, officials predict between about 12 to 18 inches, and on the east end up to two feet of snow, said Bellone, adding that it's one of the more significant storms the region has seen and it is "a real challenge" as the snow continues to be blown back onto roadways after they are plowed.

He expected the snow to continue to about 2 p.m., with the storm continuing through the evening, with plow operators working into the night, and quite possibly into Sunday night, given the "low temperatures" that are continuing to drop and predictions that there will be "windchills below zero."

"We're going to be working at the storm and our team is gonna be working at this storm for quite a while," he said.

The county's Emergency Operations Center opened up Friday night at about 7 p.m. At the center, there are representatives from all of the county's emergency services, as well as the state's Department of Homeland Security, National Grid, and the county's townships.

Bellone said power outages are a concern because of the cold temperatures, including wind chills that will go down in the evening to below zero. So far, the county is faring well with power outages, as PSEG has been doing a great job getting any customers who are out back up and restored, he said.

There were about over 100 in the morning, but that went back to about 10 by the time he called his news conference.

"Power outages here can be very dangerous given these conditions," he said.

Bellone said residents with heating emergencies can call 311, and county officials will work with them to address the issue, as well as transportation problems, "because we want to make sure that with these temperatures people are safe and can get through this storm."

Suffolk County Transportation has been canceled, and there are "numerous cancelations that Long Island MacArthur Airport in Ronkonkoma, and the Fire Island Ferry service will not resume until Monday. The South Ferry to Shelter Island is running but on a limited basis.

Suffolk Police Chief of Department Robert Waring described the county's car crash statistics as "minimal so far."

As of about 8:30 a.m., there were about 57 crashes since the start of the storm, between about 9 p.m. and 12 a.m. There was only one road closure after a car hit a pole in Melville, but the motorist was able to escape to safety and PSEG responded.

Between 9 p.m. Friday night and 6 p.m. Saturday, there were 96 crashes, a police spokeswoman said.

Waring said he has additional officers assigned to the Long Island Expressway and Sunrise Highway to assist motorists.

"As a reminder to the public, these officers are on the roadway to protect everyone so please be considerate," he said. "If you see them helping someone please move over. We ask that you just use common sense if you don't need to drive please stay home and if you are behind the wheel, use caution."

Bellone said he felt the need to hammer home the point that the conditions are treacherous out on the roadway and "that will remain the case throughout the rest of this day.

"For certain, the snowfall will continue into the evening, and so plow operators will be working through the night," he said. "So please stay off the roads. Let them do their work. Let our first responders be out there responding to emergencies and don't be someone who adds to that list that needs help and assistance."

"Stay home and let everybody do their work here," he said.