Snowstorm slams Long Beach

Long Beach was hit by its second major snowstorm this year, and the city declared a snow emergency on Thursday morning to clear emergency roadways and allow for snow removal operations.

Long Beach schools were closed due to the storm, all school activities were canceled and Thursday’s Board of Education meeting was postponed. The city, meanwhile, canceled all youth and family services and other programs.

Sanitation pickup was expected to go forward as scheduled, according to the city, City Hall was open and the Recreation Center was open until noon. Bus service was running as usual, and the Long Island Rail Road was operating, albeit with some delays.

"Our crews got off to an early start brining the roads yesterday," City Manager Jack Schnirman said. "Crews have been out since very early this morning doing snow removal operations and will continue late tonight and begin again early tomorrow morning." The city deployed about 50 pieces of equipment. The wind is the biggest struggle right now, Schnirman said, because it blows the snow around after it’s been plowed. There were no reported traffic accidents and "residents have done a tremendous job staying off the roads."

The National Weather Service upgraded its Feb. 9 forecast for Long Island to a blizzard warning, meaning more snow than originally predicted and accumulations ranging between 12 to 16 inches. By 5 a.m., a heavy, wet snow, mixed with freezing rain, had already begun to fall, with winds ranging from 20 to 35 miles per hour and gusts up to 45 mph.

On Thursday, blizzard conditions were in full swing in Long Beach and by noon, the Long Beach Fire Department said that seven inches had already accumulated.

John Mirando, the city’s Department of Public Works commissioner, said his team was out in force plowing streets; DPW crews used 30 to 40 tons of sand and salt and 15 to 20 pieces of equipment during Thursday’s snow removal operation.

“We get all of our plows ready, all our sanders and salters — we fill them up in the trucks and we go out ahead of the storm and salt the area,” he said.

Plow operations began after three inches of snow accumulated, and major roads such as Park Avenue, Beech Street, Broadway, National Boulevard and Neptune Boulevard were cleared first so that emergency vehicles can pass through.

"This is not a light, powdery snow --it’s heavy," said Sam Pinto, a local firefighter and president of the Eastholme Civic Association. “On my block, some branches came down from the heaviness of snow."

Pinto added that CSEA workers could be seen plowing the streets around his home near Riverside Boulevard.

“Today's blizzard is unique in the sense that it's one of the faster moving blizzards that I've seen in a very long time,” said Ben Reiver, a Long Beach resident who blogs about the weather on Angry Ben’s Angry Weather Facebook page.

He added that it would be difficult to measure total snow accumulations because of blowing and drifting snow. He suggested waiting until the storm is over to begin shoveling, and to do so in small increments, taking breaks frequently.

But the blizzard didn’t bring Long Beach to a complete standstill, and a number of local businesses on the barrier island were open, including Swingbellys, the popular West End barbecue joint.

“It’s known to be a spot where people party when it snows,” said manager Ryan Moroney, who added that many West End locals, including some teachers who had the day off, often walk to the eatery due to its close proximity. “Throughout the day we’ll get packed. Long Beach people come out when it snows.”

Additional information:

For a list of the city's snow emergency routes and for more information about the city's snow emergency procedures, visitlongbeachny.gov.

Nassau County opened its Emergency Hotline at 5 a.m. For non-life-threatening emergencies, call (800) 315-5153. For life-threatening emergencies, call 911 immediately.

Homeless people in need of shelter should call the county's WarmBed Hotline at (866) 927-6233

PSEG Long Island officials said to expect possible power outages. To report an outage, call (800) 490-0075.

The Long Island Rail Road canceled nine trains on six branches on Thursday because of a non-commuter train derailment at Jamaica Station the day before. Because of reduced service and the snowy weather, riders should expect delays, LIRR officials said. Go to mta.info for updates.

For flight delays at John F. Kennedy International Airport, go to panynj.gov/airports/jfk-airlines.html.

For airport alerts, go to airportinfoalerts.com/recentmessages.aspx.