Supervisor Urges Residents To Stay Off Roads: 'They're Very Bad'

SOUTHAMPTON, NY — Saturday's powerful winter storm created treacherous conditions — and Southampton Town Supervisor Jay Schneiderman urged residents to stay home.

"It's quite the blizzard," he said. "People should stay off the roads — they're very bad."

New Southampton Town Highway Superintendent Charlie McArdle was doing an "excellent job," Schneiderman said ."The employees in his department have been working around the clock."

But, although the heavy rate of snowfall may be lessening, Schneiderman said the heavy gusts of winds, projected to possibly reach 60 miles per hour, "are complicating things — with moments of near-zero visibility."

During her press briefing Saturday, Gov. Kathy Hochul said the storm could prove "life-threatening" with about 18 inches of snow expected on Long Island; on the East End, more than 2-feet were expected to fall.

Also, Hochul said, the wind chill was supposed to fall to between 0 degrees and negative-10 degrees Saturday night; she told residents to cover all exposed skin. Also on Saturday night, Hochul said the high winds could lead to an uptick in power outages and

Hochul also told residents not to interrupt plows.

New York State has 250 Department of Transportation plows on the roads. Hochul said residents should stay home but for those who had to go out, the speed limit on the Long Island Expressway was lowered to 45 miles per hour Saturday.

The Long Island Rail Road will remain shut down until sometime Sunday, she said. She also said that while the snow may cease, there will be icy conditions for days and New Yorkers should be cautious. State officials also warned residents not to use unattended space heaters or gas stoves to warm homes.