Police Chief: East Hampton, Stay Home Until Roads Cleared
A blizzard that dumped approximately 15 inches of snow on the South Fork may bring another foot more by late Tuesday. Police have urged residents to heed a countywide travel ban and stay at home until officials can clear the roads.
"I can't emphasize enough the need to stay off the roads," East Hampton Town Police Chief Michael Sarlo said. With a foot and a quarter of snow already on the ground, it is the 2-to-3-foot snow drifts in open areas making some roads impassable.
"Even if you are a private snow plow, and you want to get to those driveways, please wait a few hours; and parents do not try and take kids sledding this morning. I know everyone wants to take advantage of the snow day, but we cannot have cars parked along the shoulders of the roadways, and this is a serious, severe storm that you should not be taking your kids out into today."
Snow continued to swirl through the morning on Tuesday. A blizzard warning was canceled around noon, but a winter storm warning remained in effect until 7 p.m. for eastern Suffolk and southern Middlesex and southern New London Counties in Connecticut.
The National Weather Service office in Upton said that at about 7 a.m. snow over the North and South Forks of Long Island was falling at a rate of between 3 and 4 inches an hour. The system was forecast to slowly move away from the region and weaken. Total snow accumulation is expected to be about 2 feet, though there could be more than 30 inches in some spots, it said. The forecast was for the snow to end Tuesday evening.
Whiteout conditions make driving extremely dangerous, Chief Sarlo said. "We expect this to continue into the afternoon hours," he said. "The more people bunker down, stay off the streets, and allow Steve Lynch's crews to work uninterrupted, the sooner we can expect the safe roads."
Mr. Lynch, the superintendent of the Highway Department, and his crews were back out at 5 a.m., focusing on the main arteries. Plows are being used to open roads to make them passable for emergency personnel.
Most of East Hampton kept its power on overnight. Chief Sarlo reported three outages overnight that affected 632 customers in Montauk, but power has been restored since. Personnel have made preparations to open warming centers in Montauk and East Hampton, if needed.
Coastal flooding and erosion continue to be a concern. The tidal surges, Mr. Sarlo said, are nowhere near the levels during Hurricane Sandy. On the ocean, the National Buoy Center reported seas from the east-southeast exceeding 18 feet, with a predicition for sustained winds from the north of between 40 and 55 miles per hour with higher gusts.
The joint town and village Emergency Operations Center will remain open throughout the day. Village residents can call 631-907-9796, and town residents can call 631-907-9743 to report downed tree limbs, power outages, and storm related information.