Unlike any other storm
North Fork claws its way out after weekend blizzard
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The nor'easter that moved up the coast the weekend before Christmas dumped two-plus feet of snow across much of the North Fork, causing white-out conditions and plenty of minor car wrecks or fender-benders but no major accidents. On the plus side, students awoke Monday to a welcome snow day off, and a chance to do some sledding even though autumn had yet to depart, on the eve of the holiday break from school.
It made for a living Currier and Ives print, a pleasing portrait in white -- except, that is, when seen through the windshield of the plows working around the clock or the cars creeping along Main and North roads or by shovelers relocating part of what appears to be a record snowfall.
The woman, who declined to give her name, said she'd been "at it for hours," helping her neighbor clear out her driveway on Factory Avenue. Just down the road, 14-year-old Frankie Sierra said he and his parents had also invested a good part of the day to clearing their driveway. The Mattituck High School football player added that the work made him want to hit the gym again.
"My back's not doing so well right now," he said.
The night before, white-knuckled motorists crawled along Route 25 and Route 48 as conditions worsened. Cars were seen sliding backward down the Route 25 bridge over the railroad tracks just west of Greenport and Southold Town police officers had their hands full guiding motorists around impassable drifts on both main highways.
The highway department clocked sustained winds of up to 35 mph and gusts up to 50.
"I've been in the business 40 years and I've never seen anything like that," he said. "But it was good for business. Panic buying is better than any holiday."
Shoppers were buying more than just flashlights, batteries and milk, however.
"People were doing Christmas shopping like they wouldn't get out again until the 25th," the manager said. Despite the volume, rock salt was the only item to sell out.
Things were quite different on Sunday. "It was a ghost town," said Mr. Andreas.
The National Weather Service has declared the weekend's snowstorm as the biggest of all time for Long Island, with accumulations topping 26 inches at the agency's regional offices in Upton.
The storm, which started midday Saturday and tapered off early Sunday, set a new record for a single storm on Long Island since the weather service started keeping records in 1949. The previous record was 23 inches in 1978.
Most of the area's main roads were cleared by Monday morning, but drifting and blowing snow made for tough sledding, particularly on secondary streets.
On Monday, police closed off part of Oregon Road where spun-out or drifted-in cars hampered road-clearing efforts. The town earlier declared a state of emergency, a signal that motorists should stay off the road. That also authorizes police to remove any stranded vehicles at the owner's expense.
"For a while there, the only thing on the road was us and the fire departments," said Police Chief Carlisle Cochran. "That's the way its supposed to be."
Supervisor Scott Russell said the town's highway and police departments deserve special recognition.
"The highway department has been in high gear since [before] the first snow fell and they still have not stopped," Mr. Russell said Tuesday. "The sheer amount of the snow taxed every single resource and piece of equipment we had. It appears that we had more snow then most.
"We also seem to be returning to normal the fastest," he added.
Highway Superintendent Pete Harris said the weekend storm "ranked right up there with the blizzard of '78." At that time, Mr. Harris worked at the state Department of Transportation.
"There was something about this snow that made it very difficult to move," he said. "It's heavy, but no good for making snowballs. Every one of my seasoned veterans said this is the most difficult storm they've ever dealt with."
As was the case through much of Southold, snow clearing in Greenport was hampered by vehicles parked on village streets, utilities chief Jack Naylor told the Village Board Monday night. He rode along with village highway department crews Saturday night and said he was appalled by the number of residents who were rude to snowplow drivers and refused to cooperate.
Mr. Naylor said police working the village refused to ticket vehicles that were supposed to be removed from the road during the snow emergency.
Chief Cochran said that while the village has a local ordinance prohibiting parking on roadsides when a storm approaches, there are no signs indicating that and town police are likely unaware of the ordinance.
The chief added that he received no parking-related complaints from Greenport and is willing to work with the village on the enforcement issue.
Trustee Mary Bess Phillips, who appealed to the Village Board to adopt a new snow emergency parking policy, told her colleagues they can't wait any longer to address a serious safety hazard.
With the plowing of Southold's 400 lane miles behind him, Mr. Harris is turning his attention to finding and clearing the town's many road drains. Otherwise a weekend rain could cause massive flooding.
The cleanup will cost about $40,000, an expense not covered by his current budget. But money isn't his top concern at the moment.
"My crews are tired and beat up," the highway superintendent said, "We've been working around the clock in eight-hour shifts. That takes a toll.
"Hopefully, we don't see another one like this for the rest of the time I'm here," Mr. Harris added.
Julie Lane and Erin Schultz contributed to this story.
tkelly@timesreview.com
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1 comments found
: 12/24/2009
Great job by the Highway Dept -- Thanks, and Merry Christmas !
