Long Beach crews still rolling after storm

In what has proved to be a challenging winter for the city’s Department of Public Works, City Manager Jack Schnirman said that crews have been working round-the-clock removing snow and clearing roads since 3 a.m. on Thursday as another winter storm gripped the area, and were prepared for another round of snow.

“It’s been a taxing and exhausting winter for them, but they’ve done a terrific job and they’ve been at the ready,” Schnirman said. “They will be going out throughout the storm.”

The city declared a snow emergency on Thursday to allow for proper snow removal operations throughout the city. A winter storm warning remains in effect for Nassau County until 6 a.m. Friday. Thursday’s storm dropped more than 11 inches of snow on the South Shore, and an additional accumulation of three to eight inches is expected overnight, falling at a rate of one to three inches per hour. This will bring snowfall totals across the tri-state area to 14 to 20 inches.

Unlike some other municipalities, Schnirman said that the city still has plenty of sand and salt stocked, but added that any costs associated with the storm are being monitored closely. The city is asking residents to move their vehicles parked along snow emergency routes; as the snow changed to rain on Thursday, crews were also out clearing snow from storm drains to prevent them from clogging and potentially flooding streets.

“It seems like people are doing a good job of staying off the roads,” he said. “It’s important that people not park their cars on Park Avenue or Beech Street, because not only do we have to get the snow plows through, but that’s where the storm drains are located.”

Many residents reported on Thursday that plows could be seen clearing snow on their streets, while others said that there were no major disruptions to the city's bus service. The Long Island Rail Road, however, had reported scattered delays, though "good service" was restored later Thursday. No major emergencies were reported in Long Beach on Thursday, though some residents described a tough commute.

“My commute this morning! It sucked and it’s only getting worse,” said resident Diane Ducati.

"We received a lot of rain and ice during the storm so most people stayed inside," said another resident.

The Weather Service also issued a high surf advisory through Friday, saying that the storm could bring minor beach erosion and coastal flooding during high tide. Still, that didn’t deter local surfers who were attracted to the good swells on Thursday, and many could be seen catching waves in their winter gear.

“After you dig yourself out this a.m., keep an eye on the ocean , potential for near epic conditions this afternoon in our area,” Unsound surf shop said on its Facebook page Thursday.