Snow removal services on Long Island struggling to keep up with demand after blizzard

Snow-clearing services across Long Island say they can't keep up with demand as businesses and homeowners attempt to dig out after a blizzard dumped up to 2 feet of snow, or more, on parts of the Island.

Stokley’s Super Wash and Detailing Inc. in Manorville received about 40 calls by 1 p.m. Monday for snow removal at apartment buildings, single-family homes and eight McDonald’s restaurants in Suffolk County, company owner Brian Stokley said.

His business has two snowblowers, seven shovels and three full-time employees, and he hired three temporary workers Monday to help with the surge in calls.

“I’m going until my guys get burnt out. We’re going until 3, 4 o’clock in the morning,” said Stockley, who charges $100 to $300 per service.

The heavy snowfall is drawing both professionals and gig workers, with the high demand for a limited number of people available to do the work pushing up the costs for snow removal, based on Newsday interviews.

According to Taskrabbit, a website that matches freelance workers with gigs, snow removers listed on the website are charging $68 an hour, about 30% more than the cost a year ago. 

"Rate shifts vary year to year based on demand, [freelancer] ... availability, and the severity of storms, which is why we tend to see higher pricing during major weather events like this one," Tamara Rosenthal, spokeswoman for San Francisco-based Taskrabbit, said in an email.

Some local snow-clearing companies had to turn away business because they lacked the capacity to do the work.

By early Monday afternoon, Snowscape Snow Removal had received hundreds of calls for service, but the company’s five snowplow trucks couldn’t handle most of that work, said Andrew DeSerio, who stores the trucks at his used-car dealership in Islip Terrace.

“We’re turning down a lot," he said. "We can’t keep up with the demand." 

His company has received more calls for snow clearing this winter because the snowfall has been heavier and more frequent this year than in past years, DeSerio said. 

He declined to disclose how much he charges, saying the cost varies by the scope and requirements of each job. 

Rockaway L&B Inc., a home remodeling business, offers snow cleaning services on a limited basis to homeowners, founder Luis Zelaya said.

“I only do it for my customers,” he said.

On Monday, Zelaya, whose company is based in Far Rockaway, expected to remove snow from the driveways of five to six customers in the Five Towns, Oceanside and Lynbrook with the help of one employee. He charges $80 for small driveways and between $200 and $250 for large driveways, he said.

Zelaya said his customers appreciate having their driveways plowed.

“I don’t really like snow removal but my customers like that I do it,” he told Newsday.

Caution urged in hiring contractors

On Monday, New York State Attorney General Letitia James’ office issued a consumer alert to homeowners hiring snow removal contractors.

James’ office urged homeowners to use contractors that have been in business for a few years or that are recommended by friends and neighbors.

The advisory also recommended homeowners withhold the full payment until the work is complete, pay by check or credit card to have proof of payment, and ask to see the contractor’s driver’s license to get the address and identification number.

Insurance agent Jason E. Bartow, owner of Bartow Insurance Agency Inc. in Deer Park, said homeowners hiring snow-removal contractors should photograph their property before the snow begins to fall, after it has stopped and when plowing starts as a precaution in case an accident occurs.

Bartow said the standard homeowners’ insurance policy includes a personal liability provision that covers injury to third parties. Homeowners’ also can add a workers' compensation endorsement that allows the injured person to access the state worker’s compensation system.

“If somebody does get hurt, there is the personal liability section of a homeowner's policy; even a renters’ policy has personal liability,” said Bartow, who also serves as president of the Professional Insurance Agents of New York, which is a trade group based in the Albany area. “That personal liability section is where they would have the coverage in the event that the neighbor's kid slips and falls while shoveling the driveway and gets hurt.”

He added, “Call your agent if an accident occurs. Don’t wait for a claim to be filed."