Long Island

ny-libliz1219-sg

Last month's blizzard burying <a href="/topics/Long_Island%2C_NY">Long Island</a> in about 2 feet of snow cost more than $25 million in cleanup costs and damages - much of which will be recovered in federal disaster aid under a plan announced Tuesday by Sen. <a href="/topics/Charles_Schumer">Charles Schumer</a>. 
Speaking beside a sand pile and trucks parked at the <a href="/topics/Brookhaven%2C_NY">Brookhaven</a> Highway Department, Schumer said he is urging the <a href="/topics/Federal_Emergency_Management_Agency">Federal Emergency Management Agency</a> to declare a snow disaster for <a href="/topics/Nassau_County%2C_NY">Nassau</a> and <a href="/topics/Suffolk_County%2C_NY">Suffolk</a> because of the storm that swept across the Island on Dec. 19 and 20. 
"Local taxpayers should not have to foot this alone," said Schumer, joined at the news conference by <a href="/topics/Brookhaven%2C_NY">Brookhaven</a> Supervisor Mark Lesko and town Highway Superintendent John Rouse. 
Schumer's formal request, expected to be endorsed by Gov. <a href="/topics/David_A_Paterson">David A. Paterson</a>, would make hard-hit Long Island communities eligible for the federal money that he said will allow them to recover up to 75 percent of some expenses used in fighting the storm. 
"It was a history-making snowstorm," Lesko said. In <a href="/topics/Upton%2C_NY">Upton</a>, within his town, <a href="/topics/National_Weather_Service">National Weather Service</a> officials measured 26.3 inches of snow, the highest total there for a single storm since 1949. 
Overall, Schumer said <a href="/topics/Suffolk_County%2C_NY">Suffolk</a> was harder hit economically by the storm, with more than $15 million in damages. Key to local budgets, he said, the disaster aid would help defray the cleanup costs endured by Long Island municipalities. 
With many miles of roads covered in snowdrifts, Brookhaven reported $3 million in cleanup costs, and <a href="/topics/Islip%2C_NY">Islip</a> nearly $1 million. 
In <a href="/topics/Nassau_County%2C_NY">Nassau</a> County, officials spent $1.2 million to clean up, Schumer said, with <a href="/topics/Hempstead%2C_NY">Hempstead</a> Town paying more than $1 million to clear its roads. Many other towns and villages across Long Island also spent more than $100,000, he added. 
Federal disaster aid would also cover the overtime expense of police and other municipal workers who dealt with the storm, as well as repairs to roads, bridges and buildings damaged by the storm. The FEMA aid, if approved, should be available within a few weeks, a Schumer spokesman said.

Suffolk

USBLIZ13

Schumer seeks FEMA aid for LI's December blizzard

Coram snow blower

After a blizzard that stranded 150 passengers in a broken-down train for more than three hours, a <a href="/topics/Long_Island_Rail_Road">Long Island Rail Road</a> watchdog group Wednesday called for the offices of the governor and the <a href="/topics/MTA">MTA</a> inspector general to investigate the LIRR's emergency response plans. 
LIRR president <a href="/topics/Helena_Williams">Helena Williams</a> has said that passengers on the stranded train, which broke down on the <a href="/topics/Ronkonkoma%2C_NY">Ronkonkoma</a> branch just east of the <a href="/topics/Wyandanch%2C_NY">Wyandanch</a> station early Sunday morning, were kept informed by train crew announcements, and that LIRR officials "did our best" to keep customers on other disrupted trains informed. 
The LIRR Commuter Council said Wednesday that while it recognized that the weather was not in the railroad's control, "the LIRR management's public assessment of the railroad's response is seriously flawed." 
The office of <a href="/topics/Metropolitan_Transportation_Authority">Metropolitan Transportation Authority</a> inspector general Barry Kluger already has notified the LIRR that it plans to "thoroughly review" its handling of the storm, a spokesman said Wednesday. 
The commuter council said that statements made to reporters by passengers on the disabled train contradict Williams' assertion that they were kept informed about what was going on. Riders have said that there were three announcements made over the three hours. 
The council added that the LIRR "failed to provide an acceptable level of information on the status of operations to its customers generally." 
It noted that the 31,000 subscribers to the LIRR's e-mail alert system received no updates for more than seven hours between Sunday morning and Sunday evening. 
In a statement Wednesday, LIRR spokesman Joe Calderone reiterated that the agency "communicated throughout the storm with customers about service." 
That included issuing 105 e-mail service alert messages; making 107 postings to message boards at major terminals and on the LIRR's Internet home page; fielding more than 30,000 calls; and providing "scores of interviews around the clock to TV, radio, newspaper and traffic reporting agencies to update," Calderone said. 
Williams has apologized to riders who were inconvenienced, including in literature distributed in trains Wednesday, and said the LIRR is investigating its response to the Sunday breakdown. 
Calderone added that the LIRR is working with Kluger's office "to improve our emergency response and communication efforts." 
The council said that it has been calling on the LIRR to improve its communications with customers since more than 100 passengers got off a broken-down train in <a href="/topics/Valley_Stream%2C_NY">Valley Stream</a> in 2007. 
The watchdog group is left with "a profound lack of confidence in the ability of the nation's largest commuter railroad to investigate its shortcomings," according to the statement. 
"I don't think the railroad is in a position to be judging itself on this," council chairwoman Maureen Michaels said Wednesday.

Nassau

LIMTA24

After blizzard mess, watchdog group seeks LIRR probe

Stuck train

Commuters on the <a href="/topics/Long_Island_Rail_Road">Long Island Rail Road</a> should build in extra time for their trip Wednesday morning, officials advised. 
"I think we're getting back. We're recovering from the storm, but you could still experience delays because of the thawing and the freezing," LIRR spokesman Joe Calderone said Tuesday night. 
Riders should check the LIRR's Web site and e-mail alerts for updates on service conditions and listen to traffic reports, railroad officials said. 
Tuesday, the nation's busiest commuter railroad continued to battle back from the harsh weather, which caused hundreds of delays for commuters and other riders this week. 
During Tuesday morning's peak hours alone, there were 77 late trains, or about 22 percent of all the trains operated by the LIRR during that period. The average delay was 13.5 minutes, but some were as long as 43 minutes. Two trains were canceled. 
On Monday, there were 292 late trains throughout the day - about 40 percent of all the scheduled trains for the day. There were 16 canceled trains. 
LIRR officials warned customers traveling during Tuesday's evening rush hour to expect more "residual, blizzard-related delays" as continuing cold temperatures and blowing snow affected trains and switches. 
The weekend's historic snowstorm wreaked havoc on service. The large drifts of snow caused one diesel train bound for <a href="/topics/Ronkonkoma%2C_NY">Ronkonkoma</a> early Sunday morning to break down in <a href="/topics/Wyandanch%2C_NY">Wyandanch</a> - stranding 150 riders for more than three hours. 
In a message to riders published on the railroad's Web site Tuesday, LIRR president <a href="/topics/Helena_Williams">Helena Williams</a> acknowledged "a difficult week for the LIRR" and thanked customers for their patience. "Please know that hundreds of LIRR employees worked around the clock before, during and after the storm to keep the railroad operating," she wrote. 
&gt;&gt; PHOTOS: <a href="http://www.newsday.com/long-island/li-gears-up-for-snowstorm-1.1661330">Latest on LI</a> | <a href="http://www.newsday.com/long-island/snowstorm-hits-the-east-coast-hard-1.1662123"> East Coast buried | </a><a href="http://www.newsday.com/long-island/photos-li-snow-scenes-from-the-archives-1.203376">Classic LI snowstorms</a> | <a href="http://myli.mycapture.com/mycapture/photos/Album.aspx?EventID=461938&amp;CategoryID=21708">Send your photos!</a> &gt;&gt; LIVE: <a href="http://weather.newsday.com">Latest forecast and radar</a> 
<a href="http://mta.info/lirr/News/2009/Blizzard09.htm"> &gt;&gt; LINK: LIRR President's message about the 2009 blizzard</a>

LILIRR23

LIRR officials: Expect delays on Wednesday

LIRR Riverhead

For one man, a couple hours stuck on broken-down <a href="/topics/Long_Island%2C_NY">Long Island</a> Rail Road train number 8004 was enough. He was breaking open a window, he announced to the train's first car, and climbing out, blizzard or no. 
A conductor called <a href="/topics/MTA">MTA</a> police for help, but then another man threatened to open a window, said passenger Susin Packert. Backup was called and no one left the train, officials said. 
<a href="http://www.newsday.com/long-island/blizzard-hits-long-island-1.1661330">&gt;&gt; PHOTOS: Record-breaking snow pounds LI</a> 
<a href="http://www.newsday.com/news/news-12-the-weather-s-effect-on-your-lirr-commute-1.1665729">&gt;&gt; VIDEO: Passengers trapped on LIRR train during blizzard</a> 
But it was one of many signs of high emotions running among 150 passengers stranded for three hours early Sunday morning in four LIRR cars in one of the worst snowstorms to hit <a href="/topics/Long_Island%2C_NY">Long Island</a>. With no electricity, the only bathroom broken and falling temperatures, passengers passed the time arguing, plotting escapes and calling loved ones, the media and the LIRR. 
"No lights, no food, no water, no bathroom," Packert said. "People were just freaking out." 
Adding to the misery was the perception that conductors were holding back information or that help shouldn't have been far away. The train broke down less than 140 yards from the platform of <a href="/topics/Wyandanch%2C_NY">Wyandanch</a> station, LIRR officials said. 
"It felt like they didn't want to talk to us," said William Moriarty, 20, a Hofstra student from <a href="/topics/Boston">Boston</a>. 
LIRR president <a href="/topics/Helena_Williams">Helena Williams</a> announced Monday "a full-scale review" of what happened. She noted that no one was injured, and other officials said it would have been too dangerous to evacuate in a blizzard, even with a station nearby. 
The <a href="/topics/Ronkonkoma%2C_NY">Ronkonkoma</a>-bound train left Penn Station at 2:53 a.m. and chugged into the snow with a mix of <a href="/topics/Manhattan">Manhattan</a> partygoers, workers coming off night shifts and travelers from airports, Packert said. It was a rough ride from the beginning. 
A fight among passengers in Woodside, a change in <a href="/topics/Jamaica%2C_NY">Jamaica</a> from an electric train to a sturdier diesel better for snow and an engineer's cautious driving on icy tracks made the train an hour late by the time it reached <a href="/topics/Farmingdale%2C_NY">Farmingdale</a> at 4:46 a.m., LIRR officials said. 
That's where it picked up 50 passengers stranded there after their 1:17 a.m. <a href="/topics/Ronkonkoma%2C_NY">Ronkonkoma</a> train was canceled mid-route because of snow on the third rail. 
Fifteen minutes later, the train groaned to a stop just after leaving <a href="/topics/Wyandanch%2C_NY">Wyandanch</a>. The lights soon flickered on and off and then went out. 
Packert, who was returning home from a <a href="/topics/Costa_Rica">Costa Rica</a>-to-<a href="/topics/Newark">Newark</a> flight, said a half-hour passed before an LIRR official addressed passengers. "They said, 'We've lost power and we're working on it,' " Packert said. 
Packert passed the time talking with an LIRR employee sitting nearby who explained how the train worked. Others were less sanguine. 
A couple argued about finding a way out of the train. A man called the LIRR customer service line and demanded to speak with a supervisor. Another man paced up and down the aisle, Packert said. "Let me off this train," she recalled him saying again and again. 
By about 6 a.m., when a second announcement came that there was an engine problem, women in high heels and cocktail dresses began complaining of a chill in the car, Packert said. Worse, the train's only bathroom was overflowed and unusable, officials said. 
Soon, the last announcement came: the engine problem couldn't be fixed. "It's an S.O.S.," Packert said the announcer said. 
A female conductor walked into the first car and explained how another train would push their locomotive back to <a href="/topics/Farmingdale%2C_NY">Farmingdale</a>. She didn't know how long it would take. 
Police soon stopped passengers in the first car from opening windows, but LIRR officials said a window was opened in another car. News 12 footage shows passengers pleading into a camera. 
"Please help us," said one woman. 
"I'm going to jump out," said a man. 
Even after passengers returned to <a href="/topics/Farmingdale%2C_NY">Farmingdale</a> and caught an eastbound train at 8:13 a.m., the waiting was not over. At <a href="/topics/Ronkonkoma%2C_NY">Ronkonkoma</a> station, Packert said, there were no available taxis. 
<a href="http://mta.info/lirr/News/2009/Blizzard09.htm"> &gt;&gt; LINK: LIRR President's message about the 2009 blizzard</a> 
<a href="http://www.newsday.com/long-island/blizzard-hits-long-island-1.1661330">&gt;&gt; PHOTOS: Record-breaking snow pounds LI</a> 
<a href="http://www.newsday.com/news/news-12-the-weather-s-effect-on-your-lirr-commute-1.1665729">&gt;&gt; VIDEO: Passengers trapped on LIRR train during blizzard</a> 
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LITRAI22

Passenger: Emotions ran high on stranded LIRR train

Two days after the Blizzard of '09, the National Weather Service is reminding drivers that they still need to be careful. 
"Some melting of the snowpack occurred across the region Monday," a special weather statement read. "Widespread subfreezing temperatures overnight caused water on any untreated surfaces to refreeze." 
As a result, the weather service warned drivers to "use extreme caution" because morning roads "could be icy." 
<a href="http://longisland.newsday.com/newsday/traffic/">&gt;&gt; UPDATES: Click here to see traffic cameras and real-time congestion maps</a> 
<a href="http://weather.newsday.com/">&gt;&gt; WEATHER: Click here to see the latest forecast for your neighborhood, with radar, video and the weekend outlook</a> 
Certainly, conditions are not what they were Monday, when a series of weather-related crashes -- most of them minor -- dominated the morning rush hour. Those crashes included at least three overturned vehicles, accidents attributed to treacherous black ice. 
Police say the number of motor vehicle accidents over the weekend was significantly higher than normal. 
<a href="../../../../topics/Suffolk_County%2C_NY">Suffolk</a> County police said there were 602 crashes from 6 p.m. Friday to 6 p.m. Monday on local roadways. 
The <a href="/topics/Suffolk_County%2C_NY">Suffolk</a> County sheriff's department, which patrols the county portions of <a href="../../../../topics/Sunrise_Highway%2C_NY">Sunrise Highway</a> and the <a href="../../../../topics/Long_Island_Expressway%2C_NY">Long Island Expressway</a>, reported 188 motor vehicle accidents and 261 calls for disabled motorists in the same period. 
The State Police, which handles the state parkways, said its officers responded to 91 accidents on Saturday and Sunday. 
In <a href="../../../../topics/Nassau_County%2C_NY">Nassau</a>, police reported 287 accidents over the weekend. 
On Tuesday, the accident pace appears to have slowed -- all while traffic is getting back up to speed, police said.<a href="/topics/Nassau_County%2C_NY"> </a> 
The weather service predicted sunshine Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, with temperatures hovering in the low-to-mid 30s on Tuesday. There is a chance of freezing rain and sleet on Christmas Day, forecasters said. 
&gt;&gt; PHOTOS: <a href="http://www.newsday.com/long-island/li-gears-up-for-snowstorm-1.1661330">Latest on LI</a> | <a href="http://www.newsday.com/long-island/snowstorm-hits-the-east-coast-hard-1.1662123"> East Coast buried | </a><a href="http://www.newsday.com/long-island/photos-li-snow-scenes-from-the-archives-1.203376">Classic LI snowstorms</a> | <a href="http://myli.mycapture.com/mycapture/photos/Album.aspx?EventID=461938&amp;CategoryID=21708">Send your photos!</a> &gt;&gt; LIVE: <a href="http://weather.newsday.com">Latest forecast and radar</a> | <a href="http://longisland.newsday.com/newsday/traffic/">Traffic and LIRR snarls</a> &gt;&gt; ALERTS: <a href="http://longisland.newsday.com/statusupdates/">School and organization closings</a> | <a href="http://www.newsday.com/services/newsletters-and-alerts-1.1311863">Breaking news</a> &gt;&gt; DIVERSIONS: <a href="http://www.exploreli.com/recreation/sledding-on-long-island-1.585340">Going out? Best sledding spots</a> | <a href="http://www.newsday.com/2.2674">Staying in? Top 9 of 2009 lists</a>

LIBLIZ23

Some LI roads icy; drivers urged to be cautious

Commack crash

The <a href="/topics/National_Weather_Service">National Weather Service</a> is advising drivers to use "extreme caution" and to beware of black ice as temperatures drop below freezing overnight. 
The weather service alert is for <a href="/topics/Long_Island%2C_NY">Long Island</a>, New York City, northern <a href="/topics/New_Jersey%2C_NY">New Jersey</a>, southern <a href="/topics/Connecticut">Connecticut</a> and the Lower Hudson Valley. 
Black ice is clear, difficult to see and extremely slick. Weather service meteorologist <a href="/topics/Brandon_Smith">Brandon Smith</a> said snow that melted near and on roads during the day will freeze overnight and some will become black ice. 
A similar pattern - of daytime snow melt followed by freezing and ice formation on roads at night - could be in place for the next several days, Smith said. 
The weather service is predicting temperatures on <a href="/topics/Long_Island%2C_NY">Long Island</a> to reach the low 20s overnight and to rise just above freezing Tuesday. 
"Slow down," Smith said. "Leave extra room between you and the car in front of you. Be aware that the road conditions could change rapidly." 
&gt;&gt; PHOTOS: <a href="http://www.newsday.com/long-island/li-gears-up-for-snowstorm-1.1661330">Latest on LI</a> | <a href="http://www.newsday.com/long-island/snowstorm-hits-the-east-coast-hard-1.1662123"> East Coast buried | </a><a href="http://www.newsday.com/long-island/photos-li-snow-scenes-from-the-archives-1.203376">Classic LI snowstorms</a> | <a href="http://myli.mycapture.com/mycapture/photos/Album.aspx?EventID=461938&amp;CategoryID=21708">Send your photos!</a> &gt;&gt; LIVE: <a href="http://weather.newsday.com">Latest forecast and radar</a> | <a href="http://longisland.newsday.com/newsday/traffic/">Traffic and LIRR snarls</a> &gt;&gt; ALERTS: <a href="http://longisland.newsday.com/statusupdates/">School and organization closings</a> | <a href="http://www.newsday.com/services/newsletters-and-alerts-1.1311863">Breaking news</a> &gt;&gt; DIVERSIONS: <a href="http://www.exploreli.com/recreation/sledding-on-long-island-1.585340">Going out? Best sledding spots</a> | <a href="http://www.newsday.com/2.2674">Staying in? Top 9 of 2009 lists</a>

LIICEY22

Black ice expected overnight on LI, NYC roads

Long Island, 2009

The <a href="/topics/Long_Island_Rail_Road">Long Island Rail Road</a>'s president Monday apologized to the 150 passengers stranded on a disabled Sunday morning train for more than three hours and vowed to develop a new plan "that better protects" customers. 
<a href="/topics/Helena_Williams">Helena Williams</a> said the LIRR has launched a "full scale review of the circumstance" that caused the passengers on the 2:54 a.m. <a href="/topics/Ronkonkoma%2C_NY">Ronkonkoma</a>-bound train from Penn Station to not arrive at their destination until nearly 9 a.m. Williams said that although the train crews struggled through "extremely difficult blizzard conditions," more could have been done. 
<a href="http://www.newsday.com/long-island/suffolk/emotions-ran-high-on-stranded-lirr-train-1.1665756"> &gt;&gt; MORE: Read what some of the stranded passengers had to say</a> 
<a href="http://www.newsday.com/news/news-12-the-weather-s-effect-on-your-lirr-commute-1.1665729">&gt;&gt; VIDEO: Passengers trapped on LIRR train during blizzard</a> 
"The customers onboard were greatly inconvenienced and the LIRR apologizes for the experience they encountered," Williams said. "We must do better." 
LIRR officials Monday offered new details of the hellish incident, which they said was complicated by massive snow drifts, frozen track switches and iced over train couplers. 
Passengers originally boarded an electric train in Penn Station, but were transferred to a diesel train at <a href="/topics/Jamaica%2C_NY">Jamaica</a> because the diesels typically perform better during snowstorms. At <a href="/topics/Farmingdale%2C_NY">Farmingdale</a>, another 50 passengers boarded after their original train was taken out of service. 
The locomotive broke down just east of the <a href="/topics/Wyandanch%2C_NY">Wyandanch</a> station. After briefly taking some preliminary measures to try to restart the train, a conductor on the train's crew of three contacted the LIRR's movement bureau at <a href="/topics/Jamaica%2C_NY">Jamaica</a> Station to report the breakdown. 
The bureau immediately contacted a train dispatcher to hold trains traveling toward the disabled locomotive. Because the train broke down in a single-track stretch of the system, it would have been impossible to route trains around it. 
The bureau also quickly dispatched a "go team" of two train repair workers and a "rescue locomotive" that would be able to tow the disabled train back to <a href="/topics/Farmingdale%2C_NY">Farmingdale</a> station. Both were stationed in <a href="/topics/Hicksville%2C_NY">Hicksville</a> as part of standard operation procedure during a snowstorm. 
Although the rescue engine was intended to arrive around the same time as the repair workers, a frozen train switch caused it to be stuck just east of <a href="/topics/Hicksville%2C_NY">Hicksville</a>. 
Unable to use that rescue locomotive, LIRR officials had to find another nearby engine capable of towing the disabled train. 
They chose to divert an engine that was assigned to a push plow scheduled to clear snow from <a href="/topics/Ronkonkoma%2C_NY">Ronkonkoma</a> to <a href="/topics/Greenport%2C_NY">Greenport</a>. The LIRR first had to find an engineer to operate the engine, and called upon an engineer who was near <a href="/topics/Ronkonkoma%2C_NY">Ronkonkoma</a> and had just completed his shift. 
By the time the engine arrived at <a href="/topics/Wyandanch%2C_NY">Wyandanch</a>, the "go team" had already gone through several steps to try to identify the train's problem, but could not. 
With Bill Bleyer 
<a href="http://mta.info/lirr/News/2009/Blizzard09.htm"> &gt;&gt; LINK: LIRR President's message about the 2009 blizzard</a> 
<a href="http://www.newsday.com/long-island/suffolk/emotions-ran-high-on-stranded-lirr-train-1.1665756"> &gt;&gt; MORE: Read what some of the stranded passengers had to say</a> 
&gt;&gt; PHOTOS: <a href="http://www.newsday.com/long-island/li-gears-up-for-snowstorm-1.1661330">Latest on LI</a> | <a href="http://www.newsday.com/long-island/snowstorm-hits-the-east-coast-hard-1.1662123"> East Coast buried | </a><a href="http://www.newsday.com/long-island/photos-li-snow-scenes-from-the-archives-1.203376">Classic LI snowstorms</a> | <a href="http://myli.mycapture.com/mycapture/photos/Album.aspx?EventID=461938&amp;CategoryID=21708">Send your photos!</a> &gt;&gt; LIVE: <a href="http://weather.newsday.com">Latest forecast and radar</a> | <a href="http://longisland.newsday.com/newsday/traffic/">Traffic and LIRR snarls</a> &gt;&gt; ALERTS: <a href="http://longisland.newsday.com/statusupdates/">School and organization closings</a> | <a href="http://www.newsday.com/services/newsletters-and-alerts-1.1311863">Breaking news</a> &gt;&gt; DIVERSIONS: <a href="http://www.exploreli.com/recreation/sledding-on-long-island-1.585340">Going out? Best sledding spots</a> | <a href="http://www.newsday.com/2.2674">Staying in? Top 9 of 2009 lists</a> 
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LILIRR22

LIRR vows to develop plan to avoid disabled train incident

LIRR

The Blizzard of 2009 may be history, but it'll surely stick with us for a while, like those roadside ridges of snow left behind by the plows. 
Snow-removal budgets are feeling the strain. Airports remain discombobulated. And here's to hearty <a href="/topics/East_Patchogue%2C_NY">East Patchogue</a>, where - unofficially - 28.5 inches of snow was reported, tops on the Island. Attention also must be paid to Richard Hendrickson, 97, who has documented the weather in <a href="/topics/Bridgehampton%2C_NY">Bridgehampton</a> since 1930. 
<a href="http://www.newsday.com/long-island/blizzard-hits-long-island-1.1661330">&gt;&gt; PHOTOS: Record-breaking snow pounds LI</a> 
<a href="http://www.newsday.com/news/news-12-the-weather-s-effect-on-your-lirr-commute-1.1665729">&gt;&gt; VIDEO: Passengers trapped on LIRR train during blizzard</a> 
&nbsp; 
Hands full with part-time gig 
While the blizzard of '09 was a bust for Robbie Rizzi the restaurateur, it was a boon for Robbie Rizzi the snowplow operator. 
Rizzi, 37, works in <a href="/topics/East_Patchogue%2C_NY">East Patchogue</a>, one of the hardest-hit areas by the blizzard. As co-owner and executive chef of the Pine Grove Inn, he was preparing for an extraordinary pre-Christmas weekend. He had 200 reservations on Saturday night alone. 
"Then that storm came in - like a mad woman with a broomstick smashing snow all around," Rizzi said Monday. 
One after another, diners canceled. He shut Pine Grove for the weekend, then spent almost every minute in his GMC truck with a plow attached. 
He roared along Route 112 and Railroad Avenue, amid the heart of <a href="/topics/East_Patchogue%2C_NY">East Patchogue</a>s' helter-skelter strip malls, clearing the parking lots of medical buildings, apartment complexes and government centers. 
He estimated that closing the restaurant on the peak weekend cost him $20,000. Yet plowing nonstop earned him $10,000. He said he has slept six hours in three days. 
- DAVE MARCUS 
&nbsp; 
Beaches take a hit 
The weekend storm caused some beach erosion along the South Shore. State parks spokesman George Gorman Jr. said 10 feet of dunes on the east side of Field 5 at <a href="/topics/Robert_Moses_State_Park%2C_NY">Robert Moses State Park</a> was carved away by the high surf. 
- BILL BLEYER 
&nbsp; 
Racking up cleanup costs 
As a parting gift, the blizzard socked Long Island towns with hefty clean up costs, which continued to rise Monday as crews mopped up. 
Some governments said they'll easily pay the tab. Others, in the final days of a fiscal year ending Dec. 31, will scour budgets for unspent cash or even tap reserves. 
Take <a href="/topics/Hempstead%2C_NY">Hempstead</a>. The town had spent almost all its $1.7 million set aside for snow removal in 2009 before the blizzard struck. Officials don't have a total clean up cost yet, but put the bill for salt alone at $345,000. 
"We thought we were certainly within our budget," said town spokesman Mike Deery. "<a href="/topics/Mother">Mother</a> Nature had other plans." 
Acting <a href="/topics/Islip%2C_NY">Islip</a> public works Commissioner <a href="/topics/Richard_Baker">Richard Baker</a> put his clean up cost at $1 million, a figure he said was well below what remains in the town's snow removal budget for this year. 
Some towns, still digging out, have yet to grapple with cost. 
"I have no idea," said <a href="/topics/Riverhead%2C_NY">Riverhead</a>'s highways Superintendent George Woodson, who claimed 4 hours sleep since the storm hit. "My brain can't even think about numbers right now. I'm beat." 
- WILL VAN SANT 
&nbsp; 
At 97, a weather historian 
Richard Hendrickson of <a href="/topics/Bridgehampton%2C_NY">Bridgehampton</a> has been taking weather readings in his community for the federal government since 1930. 
"I've been living with weather all my life. I'm 97 years old," he said. 
Hendrickson points out that while the weekend storm was the heaviest snowfall in a 24-hour period, it did not match the blizzard of 1888. That year, a three-day snowstorm left three to four feet of snow on the flat ground. 
For the record, Hendrickson measured the snowfall in <a href="/topics/Bridgehampton%2C_NY">Bridgehampton</a> at 24 inches. "I live right next to an old farm and a 45 acre lot," he said. "I measure in 15 or 20 places. You have to take an average." 
- MITCHELL FREEDMAN 
&nbsp; 
Travel plans disrupted 
After more than 24 hours at Long Island MacArthur Airport, a bleary-eyed Andres Valdivia paced the <a href="/topics/Southwest_Airlines">Southwest Airlines</a> terminal Monday morning, bracing for another long day and night of waiting. 
Valdivia's flight to Ft. Lauderdale was canceled Sunday morning because of the snow. He couldn't get another one until Tuesday. Because he lives in <a href="/topics/Greenpoint%2C_NY">Greenpoint</a>, <a href="/topics/Brooklyn_Bridge%2C_NY">Brooklyn</a>, he planned to spend Monday night at the airport. 
"I'm desperate," said Valdivia, 43. "I'm bored and sleepy." 
Post-blizzard travel ordeals were common Monday. 
Claudine Milz, 42, and daughter Stefani, 8, of <a href="/topics/Fort_Myers">Fort Myers</a>, Fla., were supposed to arrive Saturday via <a href="/topics/Baltimore">Baltimore</a> to visit family in <a href="/topics/Islip%2C_NY">Islip</a>. But the flight from <a href="/topics/Fort_Myers">Fort Myers</a> to <a href="/topics/Baltimore">Baltimore</a> was canceled. On Sunday, they arrived after being rerouted to Orlando, <a href="/topics/Baltimore">Baltimore</a>, then <a href="/topics/LaGuardia_Airport">LaGuardia Airport</a>. 
But their luggage didn't arrive with them, so Milz went to MacArthur Monday to retrieve the bags. 
"We tried to make it an adventure," Milz said. 
It was also an adventure traveling through Penn Station Monday. Cathy Desanto, 39, of <a href="/topics/Setauket%2C_NY">Setauket</a>, took a <a href="/topics/Long_Island_Rail_Road">Long Island Rail Road</a> train to the city Saturday to visit with her nephew and was stranded for two nights. "The information from the <a href="/topics/MTA">MTA</a> was so confusing," she said. 
- JENNIFER SINCO KELLEHER AND PERVAIZ SHALLWANI 
&gt;&gt; PHOTOS: <a href="http://www.newsday.com/long-island/li-gears-up-for-snowstorm-1.1661330">Latest on LI</a> | <a href="http://www.newsday.com/long-island/snowstorm-hits-the-east-coast-hard-1.1662123"> East Coast buried | </a><a href="http://www.newsday.com/long-island/photos-li-snow-scenes-from-the-archives-1.203376">Classic LI snowstorms</a> | <a href="http://myli.mycapture.com/mycapture/photos/Album.aspx?EventID=461938&amp;CategoryID=21708">Send your photos!</a> &gt;&gt; LIVE: <a href="http://weather.newsday.com">Latest forecast and radar</a> | <a href="http://longisland.newsday.com/newsday/traffic/">Traffic and LIRR snarls</a> &gt;&gt; ALERTS: <a href="http://longisland.newsday.com/statusupdates/">School and organization closings</a> | <a href="http://www.newsday.com/services/newsletters-and-alerts-1.1311863">Breaking news</a> &gt;&gt; DIVERSIONS: <a href="http://www.exploreli.com/recreation/sledding-on-long-island-1.585340">Going out? Best sledding spots</a> | <a href="http://www.newsday.com/2.2674">Staying in? Top 9 of 2009 lists</a> 
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LISNOW22

Long Islanders cope with blizzard aftermath

Bethpage State Park 

After a weekend blizzard, <a href="/topics/Mother">Mother</a> Nature still had a few cruel tricks up her sleeve on the first official day of winter. 
Slick roads and so-called black ice were said to be responsible for a slew of early-morning crashes Monday on <a href="/topics/Long_Island%2C_NY">Long Island</a>, including three that resulted in overturned vehicles, police said. At least one person was hospitalized following one of the accidents. 
<a href="http://www.newsday.com/long-island/blizzard-hits-long-island-1.1661330">&gt;&gt; PHOTOS: Record-breaking snow pounds LI</a> 
The frigid post-storm conditions also continued to cause delays and service disruptions during the morning commute on the <a href="/topics/Long_Island_Rail_Road">Long Island Rail Road</a>. 
And more than 100 schools across <a href="/topics/Long_Island%2C_NY">Long Island</a> were closed Monday after the blizzard, which dumped two feet of snow and more on some communities. 
Meanwhile, it could get messy again on Christmas Eve: Forecasters at the <a href="/topics/National_Weather_Service">National Weather Service</a> say there's a chance of rain and snow on Thursday night, followed by a 60-percent chance of rain on Christmas Day. 
On Monday, three of the four major metro-area airports - Kennedy, LaGuardia and <a href="/topics/Long_Island%2C_NY">Long Island</a>-MacArthur - had no reported delays or cancellations, according to the <a href="/topics/Federal_Aviation_Administration">Federal Aviation Administration</a>. Still, many passengers who were grounded when weekend flights were canceled due to the blizzard were scrambling to find some way to get on their way.. The FAA reported that arrivals into <a href="/topics/Newark">Newark</a>-Liberty were being delayed approximately 54 minutes due to weather conditions. 
After a relatively quiet morning, the <a href="/topics/Long_Island_Power_Authority">Long Island Power Authority</a> was reporting at noon that 366 customers in <a href="/topics/Levittown%2C_NY">Levittown</a> and 82 in <a href="/topics/Merrick%2C_NY">Merrick</a> were without electricity. However, LIPA officials said the outages were "not weather-related" and emergency crews were on scene attempting to diagnose and repair the problems. 
By noon, <a href="/topics/Southampton%2C_NY">Southampton</a> was the last East End town to lift its state of emergency, urging drivers to stay off the road so crews could plow. 
The <a href="/topics/LIRR">LIRR</a> began the Monday-morning rush hour with a "service alert," warning riders to expect storm-related delays that can affect switches and other equipment. 
One day after the railroad saw 184 weather-related cancellations and delays, there was still no service between <a href="/topics/Ronkonkoma%2C_NY">Ronkonkoma</a> and <a href="/topics/Greenport%2C_NY">Greenport</a>, where buses have replaced trains, and there were delays of up to one hour on the <a href="/topics/Montauk%2C_NY">Montauk</a> and <a href="/topics/Ronkonkoma%2C_NY">Ronkonkoma</a> branches; and delays of 15 minutes or more and the <a href="/topics/Babylon%2C_NY">Babylon</a> and <a href="/topics/Port_Jefferson%2C_NY">Port Jefferson</a>-<a href="/topics/Huntington%2C_NY">Huntington</a> branches. 
By late-morning those delays were down to scattered 15-minute delays systemwide - although a railroad spokesman said expected freezing temperatures later in the day still could have an effect on the evening rush hour. Work crews were working hard to remove ice and snow from track beds and the electrified third rail, the spokesman said. 
While many major roads appeared to have been cleared of snow, below-freezing temperatures overnight caused dangerous - and hard-to-see - black ice conditions in some areas during the early-morning rush, police said. 
Driving on entrance and exit ramps was particularly tricky. 
At least three accidents before 7:30 a.m. on the <a href="/topics/Long_Island_Expressway%2C_NY">Long Island Expressway</a>, one each in <a href="/topics/Queens%2C_NY">Queens</a>, <a href="/topics/Nassau_County%2C_NY">Nassau</a> and <a href="/topics/Suffolk_County%2C_NY">Suffolk</a> counties, jammed up the morning commute. Police in <a href="/topics/Nassau_County%2C_NY">Nassau</a> and <a href="/topics/Suffolk_County%2C_NY">Suffolk</a> said there were dozens of minor fender-bender type accidents over the weekend, including many parking lot accidents. 
&gt;&gt; PHOTOS: <a href="http://www.newsday.com/long-island/li-gears-up-for-snowstorm-1.1661330">Latest on LI</a> | <a href="http://www.newsday.com/long-island/snowstorm-hits-the-east-coast-hard-1.1662123"> East Coast buried | </a><a href="http://www.newsday.com/long-island/photos-li-snow-scenes-from-the-archives-1.203376">Classic LI snowstorms</a> | <a href="http://myli.mycapture.com/mycapture/photos/Album.aspx?EventID=461938&amp;CategoryID=21708">Send your photos!</a> &gt;&gt; LIVE: <a href="http://weather.newsday.com">Latest forecast and radar</a> | <a href="http://longisland.newsday.com/newsday/traffic/">Traffic and LIRR snarls</a> &gt;&gt; ALERTS: <a href="http://longisland.newsday.com/statusupdates/">School and organization closings</a> | <a href="http://www.newsday.com/services/newsletters-and-alerts-1.1311863">Breaking news</a> &gt;&gt; DIVERSIONS: <a href="http://www.exploreli.com/recreation/sledding-on-long-island-1.585340">Going out? Best sledding spots</a> | <a href="http://www.newsday.com/2.2674">Staying in? Top 9 of 2009 lists</a>

LIBLIZ22

Slick start to work day after big blizzard

Retailers Monday began to recoup in earnest from the weekend's blizzard as shoppers returned to malls and downtowns for last-minute gifts. 
<a href="/topics/Long_Island%2C_NY">Long Island</a> shoppers, liberated from the snow, hit the malls in force, but the blizzard wasn't the only reason for their delayed <a href="/topics/Christmas">Christmas</a> shopping. Traditional holiday procrastination, money and, according to one survey, the lack of sales as steep as last year's, were factors why consumers put off completing their shopping until this week. 
"My original plan was to start on Saturday, but I didn't want to be in the snow," said Elaine Johnson, 47, who started her shopping Monday at the <a href="/topics/Roosevelt%2C_NY">Roosevelt</a> Field mall in <a href="/topics/Garden_City%2C_NY">Garden City</a>. "But this year I also started later because of financial reasons. I have to make sure the important bills get paid - my mortgage, electric bill, car payment, my son's tuition." 
Some shoppers were also waiting for the last weekend-before-<a href="/topics/Christmas">Christmas</a> sales, and many were disappointed, according to a survey by America's Research Group, a market research firm based in Charleston, S.C. More than 50 percent of shoppers who haven't finished their Christmas shopping blame that in part on the lack of deep discounts similar to last year's. 
"The problem this weekend was probably as much the discounts as the weather," said Britt Beemer, founder and chairman of the research firm. "They [consumers] didn't see the 60 and 70 percent off this year that they expected based on last year, when retailers told them that was the sales level and now they are taking that away from them." 
It's still unclear how much the weekend storm affected retailers' expected revenue, but they have this week to make up for any lost sales. Traffic entering <a href="/topics/Roosevelt%2C_NY">Roosevelt</a> Field Monday afternoon was backed up at least half a mile and snaked through a clogged parking lot. Despite the snowstorm, the mall was busy with shoppers until the evening Saturday and picked up again Sunday afternoon, said Kathleen Herrmann, area director of marketing for the mall. 
"Nothing stops us," Herrmann said. "We're New Yorkers, <a href="/topics/Long_Island%2C_NY">Long Island</a>ers, and if we've got something to do, we're going to do it." 
At <a href="/topics/Walt_Whitman">Walt Whitman</a> Mall in <a href="/topics/Huntington_Station%2C_NY">Huntington Station</a>, even though the parking lot was full Monday, some merchants like Sam Tripathi, who operates the Silver Line jewelry kiosk, complained that business was slow. He usually counts on shoppers growing frustrated with long lines at <a href="/topics/Macy%27s">Macy's</a> and coming to buy gifts at his kiosk. "Now there are no lines at <a href="/topics/Macy%27s">Macy's</a> and no people over here," he said. 
The Tanger Outlet in <a href="/topics/Riverhead%2C_NY">Riverhead</a> closed on Sunday and delayed its opening by an hour Monday. Traffic, however, was running ahead of last year and shoppers came out to the center during the week and Friday to beat the storm, said general manager Janine Nebons. 
"For large volume stores I don't think you ever make it up, but medium and smaller size stores, absolutely they can do it," she said. ". . . We have a broad enough merchant mix here so the shocks will be easily absorbed." 
Marilyn Schulman, who owns <a href="/topics/Bay_Shore%2C_NY">Bay Shore</a>'s Willy Nilly Trading Company, said Sunday was slow but she was flooded with customers Saturday and again Monday. At this point, her December revenue is 27 percent higher than last year's, she said. 
"We are going to take it in stride," Schulman said. "Whatever was lost, it was such a great, great month it's not going to be a big factor."

BZBLIZ22

LI retailers try to recoup holiday sales after storm

shoppers

It was a big weekend for the volunteers who help the <a href="/topics/National_Weather_Service">National Weather Service</a> keep tabs on snowfall.
When a blizzard hits <a href="/topics/Long_Island%2C_NY">Long Island</a>, the weather service can't be everywhere, so its meteorologists rely on a multilayered system of observers to fill in the gaps. Sunday gave many of them the chance to report the highest snow totals since they signed up.
Weather service meteorologist Brian Ciemnecki in <a href="/topics/Upton%2C_NY">Upton</a> said the top of the information-gathering pyramid is the agency's two "climate sites:" Its own facility at <a href="/topics/Brookhaven%2C_NY">Brookhaven</a> National Laboratory in <a href="/topics/Upton%2C_NY">Upton</a> and <a href="/topics/Long_Island%2C_NY">Long Island</a> McArthur Airport in <a href="/topics/Ronkonkoma%2C_NY">Ronkonkoma</a>. 
Staffers take observations every few hours with plastic or wood "snowboards," lightly colored boards about 2 feet square, or "snowsticks," rulers marked in 10th of an inch gradations. They stick them on hard surfaces in several spots free of drifting snow, then average the measurements.
Besides the two official sites, the weather service relies on more than a dozen "cooperative observers" who are trained by the agency to report temperature and precipitation every morning.
The observers are augmented by a network of 500 "Skywarn spotters," agency-trained volunteers who supply only snow and rainfall data, either by phone or Internet. 
Bruce Gronich of <a href="/topics/Plainview%2C_NY">Plainview</a>, a Skywarn spotter for several years, also coordinates about 60 of the <a href="/topics/Nassau_County%2C_NY">Nassau</a> County volunteers who are also ham radio operators. Gronich, who works on the technology side of the finance industry, got involved because he is part of a ham radio network and had become a weather expert when he was a private pilot.
During the weekend storm, Gronich said he measured the snowfall every three hours at his home until the accumulation reached 15.2 inches - the deepest he's recorded.
"It was pretty exciting," he said. "It's also exciting to be in touch with the meteorologists at Upton when it's going on."

LISPOT22

Volunteers help keep official tabs on snowfall

So how deep was it? 
The Blizzard of '09 broke the modern record for snowfall on <a href="/topics/Long_Island%2C_NY">Long Island</a> at 26.3 inches, according to the official measuring station at the <a href="/topics/National_Weather_Service">National Weather Service</a> in <a href="/topics/Upton%2C_NY">Upton</a>. 
Unofficially, the snow was slightly deeper in <a href="/topics/Mastic%2C_NY">Mastic</a> (26.5 inches) and deepest in <a href="/topics/East_Patchogue%2C_NY">East Patchogue</a> (27.5 inches), according to measurements reported to the weather agency. <a href="/topics/Mastic%2C_NY">Mastic</a> is about 8 miles to the south of <a href="/topics/Upton%2C_NY">Upton</a>; <a href="/topics/East_Patchogue%2C_NY">East Patchogue</a> is about 14 miles to the southwest of <a href="/topics/Upton%2C_NY">Upton</a>. 
In both cases, the snow totals were provided by members of the public, who do not have to adhere to any specific standards when measuring snow. 
Those total numbers are not official "because we don't have the manpower to check all these totals," said Richard Castro of the <a href="/topics/National_Weather_Service">National Weather Service</a>. "There's no way of us confirming if the measurement taken was completely accurate." 
In the case of the <a href="/topics/East_Patchogue%2C_NY">East Patchogue</a> total, it was unclear how the depth was measured but "this was a representative amount" when compared to other totals in the area, Castro said. 
<a href="/topics/Holtsville%2C_NY">Holtsville</a> recorded 25 inches - a measurement that was taken by a member of Skywarn, a nationwide network of volunteer weather spotters. 
Skywarn members are trained how to measure snow using a snowboard, but they don't have to use one. It's unknown whether one was used in the <a href="/topics/Holtsville%2C_NY">Holtsville</a> recording. 
The <a href="/topics/National_Weather_Service">National Weather Service</a> began distributing snowboards to weather observers in 2002, records show, so the agency could more consistently and accurately measure snowfall. 
A snowboard should be "any lightly colored board that is about 2 feet by 2 feet" such as a piece of plywood, according to agency guidelines issued in November 2008, which urges observers to "mark the location of the snowboard with a stake so you can find it after a fresh snowfall." 
&gt;&gt; PHOTOS: <a href="http://www.newsday.com/long-island/li-gears-up-for-snowstorm-1.1661330">Latest photos from around LI</a> | <a href="http://www.newsday.com/long-island/photos-li-snow-scenes-from-the-archives-1.203376">Classic LI snowstorms</a> | <a href="http://myli.mycapture.com/mycapture/photos/Album.aspx?EventID=461938&amp;CategoryID=21708">Send your photos!</a> &gt;&gt; VIDEO: <a href="http://www.newsday.com/long-island/december-blizzard-1.1663443?qr=1">Cleaning up, and laughing in disbelief</a> &gt;&gt; LIVE: <a href="http://weather.newsday.com">Latest forecast and radar</a> | <a href="http://longisland.newsday.com/newsday/traffic/">Traffic and LIRR snarls</a> &gt;&gt; | Long Island traffic cams ALERTS: <a href="http://longisland.newsday.com/statusupdates/">School and organization closings</a> | <a href="http://www.newsday.com/services/newsletters-and-alerts-1.1311863">Breaking news</a>

LIMEAS22

Snowfall measurement not exactly an exact science

stop sign

The aftermath of the weekend blizzard caused big headaches Monday morning for <a href="/topics/Long_Island_Rail_Road">Long Island Rail Road</a> commuters - with six trains canceled, 92 trains delayed and morning service suspended between <a href="/topics/Ronkonkoma%2C_NY">Ronkonkoma</a> and <a href="/topics/Greenport%2C_NY">Greenport</a>.
Most branches were affected with some lines - including the <a href="/topics/Montauk%2C_NY">Montauk</a> branch and the <a href="/topics/Ronkonkoma%2C_NY">Ronkonkoma</a> branch - experienced delays of up to an hour.
By noon there were "scattered delays" of 10 to 15 minutes on the Ronkonkoma and <a href="/topics/Babylon%2C_NY">Babylon</a> branches, railroad spokesman Mike Charles said. And service was expected to be restored between Ronkonkoma and <a href="/topics/Greenport%2C_NY">Greenport</a> beginning with the 1:42 p.m. train from Ronkonkoma to <a href="/topics/Riverhead%2C_NY">Riverhead</a>, he said. For now, buses replaced trains between Ronkonkoma and Greenport.
It appears the worst is over, Charles said. However, railroad officials warned, the potential for problems remains - at least as long as snow, ice and winter's freeze and thaw remain in the picture, all of them potential disruptions to service.
"We do preventative maintenance, take preventative measures," Charles said. "But that doesn't mean we're still not going to have problems."
The six cancellations and 92 delayed or late trains were out of 145 scheduled westbound trains during the morning peak service, Charles said. All the delays were weather-related, including equipment problems.
Charles said the railroad has sent out de-icing equipment with anti-freeze solutions designed to remove ice conditions from the electrified third-rail that powers the electric fleet of trains - ice conditions that can causing arcing and damage equipment. He also said some trains are equipped with so-called scraper shoes - specially designed electric pick-up shoes that scrape ice from the third rails as the train operates on the tracks.
Regardless of all the precautions, all the maintenance, all the measures, Charles said: "You still have to expect there may be delays . . . We are asking all of our customers to take the weather into consideration and to allow themselves extra time to park, extra travel time, as a result of the weather."
Overnight conditions took their toll on the morning rush-hour. As of 9 a.m. the railroad reported up to one-hour delays on the Ronkonkoma branch west of Ronkonkoma and on the <a href="/topics/Montauk%2C_NY">Montauk</a> branch; up to 25-minute delays on the <a href="/topics/Port_Jefferson%2C_NY">Port Jefferson</a>-<a href="/topics/Huntington%2C_NY">Huntington</a> branches; and up to 15-minute delays on the <a href="/topics/Babylon%2C_NY">Babylon</a> branch. There was no service east of Ronkonkoma on the Ronkonkoma branch.
In addition to that suspension of service, Charles said there were several specific delays, among them: the 5:18 a.m. train from <a href="/topics/Speonk%2C_NY">Speonk</a> to Hunterspoint Avenue, which ran 39 minutes behind schedule; and the 5:39 a.m. from <a href="/topics/Patchogue%2C_NY">Patchogue</a>, due in at Penn Station at 7:02 a.m., which operated 17 minutes late due to weather-related equipment trouble. The 5:38 a.m. train from Montauk, due in at <a href="/topics/Long_Island_City%2C_NY">Long Island City</a> at 8:44 a.m., was running one hour late due to weather-related equipment problems, the railroad said.
The railroad saw 184 delays and/or cancellations Sunday, following the historic storm that dropped more than two feet of snow on some areas of the Island, including a record 26.3 inches on <a href="/topics/Brookhaven%2C_NY">Brookhaven</a>. The worst of the scenarios involving canceled or delayed trains was one that became snowbound and stuck near <a href="/topics/Wyandanch%2C_NY">Wyandanch</a> for upwards of three hours early Sunday - with an estimated 150 passengers on board, according to the LIRR.
Officials said the diesel locomotive broke down as the result of too much moisture, which caused it to stop. The train was the 2:54 a.m. to Ronkonkoma - and, as a result, passengers were stranded for hours without heat.

Day after blizzard, delays, some cancellations on LIRR

liSNOW

Long <a href="/topics/New_York_Islanders">Islanders</a> may be greeting the first day of winter Monday with the realization that even if they're leaving at their normal time to get to work, they're already late. 
That's because the weekend's snowpocalypse means icy roads, delayed train service and perhaps longer than usual lines for that morning cup of joe. 
<a href="http://www.newsday.com/long-island/blizzard-hits-long-island-1.1661330">&gt;&gt; PHOTOS: Record-breaking snow pounds LI</a> 
And the blizzard of '09 carved a day of shopping off the final run-up to Christmas. 
<a href="http://www.newsday.com/news/weekend-blizzard-still-effecting-long-island-commuters-1.1664700">&gt;&gt;VIDEO: Click here to see how the blizzard is effecting your commute today</a> 
But if you're a student, you may be in luck: Go to newsday.com to see if you're off Monday or can go into class late. 
Check out our tips for shoveling driveways and sidewalks and helping to keep roads clear for emergency vehicles. 
For next time? Keep a "ready bag" and emergency numbers handy. And stock up on wool socks and hot chocolate. 
The <a href="/topics/Long_Island_Rail_Road">Long Island Rail Road</a> has a message for commuters Monday: Prepare to wait. 
"We want our customers to build in some extra time for traveling," <a href="/topics/LIRR">LIRR</a> president <a href="/topics/Helena_Williams">Helena Williams</a> said Sunday at a news conference at the <a href="/topics/Mineola%2C_NY">Mineola</a> station. "They need to take account of the fact that there will be some delays." 
Williams said the delays would vary among the railroad's 11 branches, but that she hoped they would not exceed 10 to 15 minutes. 
"Our plan is to go to regular rush hour-scheduled service," Williams said. 
Parking at stations may also be an issue because some lots not maintained by the railroad have not been plowed, said <a href="/topics/LIRR">LIRR</a> spokesman Joe Calderone. 
<a href="http://www.newsday.com/long-island/nassau/december-blizzard-1.1663443">&gt;&gt;VIDEO: Click here to see the blizzard in different parts of LI</a> 
And there will be no service between <a href="/topics/Ronkonkoma%2C_NY">Ronkonkoma</a> and <a href="/topics/Greenport%2C_NY">Greenport</a> Monday - for a second day. "We encountered numerous snowdrifts that are not easily cleared in that area," Calderone said. 
Special machinery equipped with jet engines was deployed to blow hot air and melt snow on and around the tracks. 
<a href="/topics/Long_Island%2C_NY">Long Island</a> Bus officials said they expect buses to be running on time Monday, after scattered delays Sunday of 15 to 45 minutes, spokesman Jerry Mikorenda said. Huge drifts on roads in <a href="/topics/Rockville_Centre%2C_NY">Rockville Centre</a>, <a href="/topics/Garden_City%2C_NY">Garden City</a> and <a href="/topics/Roosevelt%2C_NY">Roosevelt</a> have been cleared, he said. 
<a href="/topics/Suffolk_County%2C_NY">Suffolk</a> officials said they did not expect major delays on the county's 50 bus lines. "The major factor is whether the towns have the resources to clear the roads that they maintain," <a href="/topics/Suffolk_County%2C_NY">Suffolk</a> County Executive <a href="/topics/Steve_Levy">Steve Levy</a> said. 
<a href="http://www.newsday.com/long-island/nassau/a-day-of-fun-in-the-snow-1.1664234">&gt;&gt;VIDEO: Click here to LI kids play in the snow</a> 
To sign up for <a href="/topics/MTA">MTA</a> e-mail alerts, go to mta.info, scroll down and click on "Sign Up for E-Mail and Text Message Alerts." 
Monday will likely be a fairly normal day for travelers with scheduled flights, airport officials said Sunday. But passengers who had weekend flights canceled will be at the mercy of their airlines. 
Kennedy and LaGuardia airports are open, a Port Authority spokesman said, and <a href="/topics/Long_Island%2C_NY">Long Island</a> MacArthur Airport in <a href="/topics/Ronkonkoma%2C_NY">Ronkonkoma</a> will likely be running close to normal, spokeswoman Catherine Green said. 
MacArthur's two commercial airlines, Southwest and <a href="/topics/US_Airways">US Airways</a>, were flying in and out Sunday night without significant delays from destinations unaffected by the storm. 
The biggest problems will come for travelers attempting to rebook flights that were canceled Sunday. For example, Delta rebooked passengers from a canceled Kennedy flight Sunday to <a href="/topics/Seattle">Seattle</a> to leave on Christmas Day. 
A spokesman for <a href="/topics/JetBlue">JetBlue</a> said he anticipates running at full schedule Monday. 
Bottom line: Call your airline. 
LIPA attributed low outage numbers Sunday to "light, fluffy" snow and its own preparations in the face of the storm. 
"It's the wet, heavy snow that sits on tree limbs and causes them to break and comes down on wires," said spokesman Mark Gross. "We were out all year doing the storm hardening and tree trimming. That makes a difference." 
Even the strong gusts appear not to have caused extraordinary damage. "Anything over 40 miles per hour usually is a little tricky for the system, but this was a good one for us," he said. 
Most of the outages were caused not by weather, but by cars losing control and crashing into poles. Gross said 10 poles had been hit by midday Sunday and needed repair crews. 
LIPA beefed up crews in advance of the storm and had "a couple of hundred" people on standby just in case things got bad, Gross said. Relatively few of those crews were called in, he said. 
Customers who have lost power should call LIPA quickly so electricity can be restored with minimal disruption, Gross said. 
Even though LIPA appeared to have escaped the worst, Gross said the authority will remain on alert. 
"We still have people on standby," he said. "The roads aren't great. We're still cautious about accidents and snow on the branches. We're not letting our guard down yet." 
Customers who experience an outage should call 800-490-0075.Getting rid of snow and staying warm can pose their own hazards, officials said Sunday. 
Shoveling - one of the most dreaded post-storm activities - can also be among the most risky for people with heart conditions. The combination of vigorous exercise and breathing in cold air can be dangerous for them, said <a href="/topics/Brookhaven%2C_NY">Brookhaven</a> Highway Superintendent John Rouse. 
He advised that people lift shovelfuls of snow with the knees, not the back. 
"People need to be very cognizant of that. They need to be very careful that they keep the weight to a minimum and bend their knees," he said. 
Another cold weather recommendation: Don't use candles or ovens as heat sources. 
"If anything, you hate to say it, but wrap yourself up," said <a href="/topics/Syosset%2C_NY">Syosset</a> fire commissioner Giovanni Graceffa. "Blankets. A lot of blankets." 
Despite horrific driving conditions Saturday night and Sunday morning, <a href="/topics/Long_Island%2C_NY">Long Island</a>'s streets and highways will likely be cleared by Monday morning, officials said Sunday. 
North <a href="/topics/Hempstead%2C_NY">Hempstead</a> Highway Superintendent Tom Tiernan said town plows finished cleaning up the roads by 4 p.m. Sunday and would add another layer of salt Monday around 5 a.m. to prevent re-freezing. 
"We'll give it a quick blast of salt and sand," Tiernan said. "It should be good to go for the commute." 
<a href="/topics/Brookhaven%2C_NY">Brookhaven</a> Highway Superintendent John Rouse said his crews would remain on the streets all night to ready roads for the morning commute. 
<a href="/topics/Suffolk_County%2C_NY">Suffolk</a>'s public works employees finished their marathon weekend shift Sunday night at 6 but were scheduled to return Monday at 6 a.m. to "tidy up major roadways," county spokesman Dan Aug said. 
In <a href="/topics/Hempstead%2C_NY">Hempstead</a>, spokesman Mike Deery said town roads would be cleared by this morning. 
"We expect to be in really good shape," he said. "One of the blessings is the fact that this took place on the weekend. It gave us an extra day" to clean up. 
For many school districts, the cold and treacherous roads added up to a snow day Monday. 
Scores of districts are closed, while others will have delayed openings. 
To find out about school closings, call your local school district or check its Web site. You may also visit newsday.com and click on the button for alerts. 
Whether you're responsible for shoveling snow from your sidewalk depends on whether it is public or private property, officials on <a href="/topics/Long_Island%2C_NY">Long Island</a> said. 
Ice-melting products can be applied to public sidewalks, but when it comes to how strong and how much, residents should "use their God-given common sense," said <a href="/topics/Brookhaven%2C_NY">Brookhaven</a> Highway Supervisor John Rouse. 
Maintain the areas in front of your property, even if the sidewalk is in the public right of way, Rouse said, adding that it helps to dig out fire hydrants and keep cars off the street so plows can remove snow that might hinder emergency vehicles. 
Hydrants may be buried by drifts or by people clearing their driveways and sidewalks, <a href="/topics/Syosset%2C_NY">Syosset</a> Fire Chief John Capobianco said. "If people can dig out the hydrants, it will be a great help to us, and to them and their neighbors as well," he said. 
Clean all the snow off your car. There's no law that says you have to, but safety officials strongly urge it, said <a href="/topics/Brookhaven%2C_NY">Brookhaven</a> Supervisor Mark Lesko. Plows could hit buried cars, and people who drive cars covered in snow create a safety hazard, he said. 
"I imagine most responsive drivers are going to clear their cars off before they go out and drive," he said. 
And if snow dislodges from a car and causes an accident, the driver could be held accountable, he said. 
"Certainly, if it were so obnoxious and dangerous as to be an imminent public health threat, someone could be charged with reckless endangerment" for driving with a roof full of snow, said <a href="/topics/Brookhaven%2C_NY">Brookhaven</a> Supervisor John Rouse. 
The best way to stay safe after a snowstorm? Stay inside, public safety officials agree. But some easy steps can make coping with winter a little easier, said <a href="/topics/Syosset%2C_NY">Syosset</a> fire Commissioner Giovanni Graceffa: 
Keep a flashlight - and batteries - at home. 
Keep a "ready bag" of toiletries and three days' worth of clothes in case you have to evacuate. In a snowstorm, that might arise because of a gas or propane tank leak, Graceffa said. 
"God forbid, if you have to leave your home at the last minute, you're not scrambling around at the last minute," he said. 
Keep key phone numbers, such as those for the police, the fire department and your heating company, on hand. 
&gt;&gt; PHOTOS: <a href="http://www.newsday.com/long-island/li-gears-up-for-snowstorm-1.1661330">Latest on LI</a> | <a href="http://www.newsday.com/long-island/snowstorm-hits-the-east-coast-hard-1.1662123"> East Coast buried | </a><a href="http://www.newsday.com/long-island/photos-li-snow-scenes-from-the-archives-1.203376">Classic LI snowstorms</a> | <a href="http://myli.mycapture.com/mycapture/photos/Album.aspx?EventID=461938&amp;CategoryID=21708">Send your photos!</a> &gt;&gt; LIVE: <a href="http://weather.newsday.com">Latest forecast and radar</a> | <a href="http://longisland.newsday.com/newsday/traffic/">Traffic and LIRR snarls</a> &gt;&gt; ALERTS: <a href="http://longisland.newsday.com/statusupdates/">School and organization closings</a> | <a href="http://www.newsday.com/services/newsletters-and-alerts-1.1311863">Breaking news</a> &gt;&gt; DIVERSIONS: <a href="http://www.exploreli.com/recreation/sledding-on-long-island-1.585340">Going out? Best sledding spots</a> | <a href="http://www.newsday.com/2.2674">Staying in? Top 9 of 2009 lists</a>

LISURV21

LI's biggest snow ever: What you need to know

Central Islip

Slick roads and treacherous black ice conditions caused dozens of accidents Monday morning across <a href="/topics/Nassau_County%2C_NY">Nassau</a> and <a href="/topics/Suffolk_County%2C_NY">Suffolk</a>, police said, including at least three crashes in which vehicles overturned. 
One person was transported to <a href="/topics/Nassau_University_Medical_Center">Nassau University Medical Center</a> after a vehicle overturned on a ramp leading to the <a href="/topics/Northern_State_Parkway%2C_NY">Northern State Parkway</a> before dawn, New York State Police said. 
Authorities said most of the other crashes appear not to have caused serious injuries - and said most are just fender-benders. 
The latest overturned vehicle involved a sport utility vehicle on the westbound entrance ramp to the <a href="/topics/Long_Island_Expressway%2C_NY">Long Island Expressway</a> at Exit 66, <a href="/topics/Yaphank%2C_NY">Yaphank</a> Road, at 10:51 a.m., <a href="/topics/Suffolk_County_Police">Suffolk County Police</a> said. Emergency responders initially called for an ambulance but later said there were no serious injuries. 
Police said there have been "lots of accidents" in <a href="/topics/Suffolk_County%2C_NY">Suffolk</a>, most of them property damage crashes without injuries. A spokesman for the <a href="/topics/Suffolk_County%2C_NY">Suffolk</a> County Sheriff's Department said that reports of crashes have been "steady throughout the day." 
<a href="http://www.newsday.com/long-island/nassau/a-day-of-fun-in-the-snow-1.1664234">&gt;&gt;VIDEO: Click here to LI kids play in the snow</a> 
The New York State Department of Transportation Web site has reported numerous accidents all morning, with crashes reported on almost every major highway and parkway in <a href="/topics/Nassau_County%2C_NY">Nassau</a>, <a href="/topics/Suffolk_County%2C_NY">Suffolk</a> and <a href="/topics/Queens%2C_NY">Queens</a>, among them: the <a href="/topics/Long_Island_Expressway%2C_NY">Long Island Expressway</a>, Grand Central Parkway, <a href="/topics/Northern_State_Parkway%2C_NY">Northern State Parkway</a>, <a href="/topics/Southern_State_Parkway%2C_NY">Southern State Parkway</a>, <a href="/topics/Wantagh%2C_NY">Wantagh</a> State Parkway and Meadowbrook State Parkway. One of the three crashes involving an overturned vehicle closed two westbound lanes of the LIE between exits 57 and 56 in <a href="/topics/Islandia%2C_NY">Islandia</a>, according to <a href="/topics/Suffolk_County%2C_NY">Suffolk</a> sheriffs. 
The other briefly closed one lane on the ramp leading from the northbound <a href="/topics/Wantagh%2C_NY">Wantagh</a> to the westbound Northern State. That crash occurred at about 5:45 a.m., State Police said. 
<a href="http://www.newsday.com/long-island/nassau/december-blizzard-1.1663443">&gt;&gt;VIDEO: Click here to see the blizzard in different parts of LI</a> 
Traffic on the eastbound LIE near the <a href="/topics/Nassau_County%2C_NY">Nassau</a>-<a href="/topics/Queens%2C_NY">Queens</a> border had to contend with a missing manhole cover that caused big delays and made for a dangerous condition between Douglaston Parkway and <a href="/topics/Little_Neck%2C_NY">Little Neck</a> Parkway. It is believed that manhole had been unknowingly moved by a snow plow. 
That situation has been fixed, according to the NYSDOT web site. 
The NYSDOT had reported a crash in the area earlier in the morning but it was not clear if the two were related. 
Other incidents Monday included a minor two-car crash that blocked at least one lane on the eastbound <a href="/topics/Northern_State_Parkway%2C_NY">Northern State Parkway</a> near <a href="/topics/Glen_Cove%2C_NY">Glen Cove</a> Road and a crash between Exit 36 and Exit 37 on the <a href="/topics/Southern_State_Parkway%2C_NY">Southern State Parkway</a> that caused eastbound traffic to slow to a near-standstill. 
The commute, in general, was expected to be slow going, State Police said, with black ice in many areas and snow remaining on entrance and exit ramps to many major roads, leading to slick and slippery conditions. 
Drivers were being advised to use caution, police said. 
<a href="http://www.newsday.com/news/weekend-blizzard-still-effecting-long-island-commuters-1.1664700">&gt;&gt;VIDEO: Click here to see how the blizzard is effecting your commute today</a> 
"Our crews have been treating this storm since 5 a.m. Saturday morning," NYSDOT spokeswoman Eileen Peters said, "and they're still out there now cleaning up road shoulders and entrance and exit ramps . . . But just because the sun is shining doesn't mean people can resume normal driving conditions. They have to slow down and especially be aware of black ice conditions." 
The DOT reported dozens of crashes throughout the morning commute and into late morning, among them: one on the eastbound Southern State at Exit 39, <a href="/topics/Deer_Park%2C_NY">Deer Park</a> Avenue; a disabled truck blocking part of the ramp at Exit 39, <a href="/topics/Glen_Cove%2C_NY">Glen Cove</a> Road, on the LIE. Those were all in addition to the three overturned vehicles, a significant number of vehicles classified as "disabled" and a host of minor crashes. 
As a result of some crashes, like the overturned vehicle on the LIE in <a href="/topics/Islandia%2C_NY">Islandia</a>, responders called for sanders to come in and re-sand the road surface, police said. 
&gt;&gt; PHOTOS: <a href="http://www.newsday.com/long-island/li-gears-up-for-snowstorm-1.1661330">Latest on LI</a> | <a href="http://www.newsday.com/long-island/snowstorm-hits-the-east-coast-hard-1.1662123"> East Coast buried | </a><a href="http://www.newsday.com/long-island/photos-li-snow-scenes-from-the-archives-1.203376">Classic LI snowstorms</a> | <a href="http://myli.mycapture.com/mycapture/photos/Album.aspx?EventID=461938&amp;CategoryID=21708">Send your photos!</a> &gt;&gt; LIVE: <a href="http://weather.newsday.com">Latest forecast and radar</a> | <a href="http://longisland.newsday.com/newsday/traffic/">Traffic and LIRR snarls</a> &gt;&gt; ALERTS: <a href="http://longisland.newsday.com/statusupdates/">School and organization closings</a> | <a href="http://www.newsday.com/services/newsletters-and-alerts-1.1311863">Breaking news</a> &gt;&gt; DIVERSIONS: <a href="http://www.exploreli.com/recreation/sledding-on-long-island-1.585340">Going out? Best sledding spots</a> | <a href="http://www.newsday.com/2.2674">Staying in? Top 9 of 2009 lists</a>

LIACCI22

Storm fallout means rash of crashes during morning rush

Traffic

The fact that the blizzard of 2009 broke the modern record for snowfall on <a href="/topics/Long_Island%2C_NY">Long Island</a> - 26-plus inches - tells only part of the story. 
The rest reads something like this: 
Snow drifted across roads that, after the plows drove through, wound up as slick as if hit by an ice storm. The result: dozens of fender benders. 
<a href="http://www.newsday.com/long-island/blizzard-hits-long-island-1.1661330">&gt;&gt; PHOTOS: Record-breaking snow pounds LI</a> 
The region's airports were immobilized and 184 <a href="/topics/Long_Island_Rail_Road">Long Island Rail Road</a> trains were delayed or canceled - including one with 150 passengers that wound up stuck near <a href="/topics/Wyandanch%2C_NY">Wyandanch</a> for three hours early Sunday after its temperamental diesel locomotive sucked up too much moisture. 
Power outages were not widespread - but 175 homes in <a href="/topics/Woodmere%2C_NY">Woodmere</a> did lose theirs, the <a href="/topics/Long_Island_Power_Authority">Long Island Power Authority</a> reported. By early afternoon, as the snowfall was winding down, outages numbered fewer than 50 islandwide. At its worst - at 1 a.m. - outages numbered 289. 
The only fatality that appeared to be weather related was reported in <a href="/topics/Coram%2C_NY">Coram</a>, where <a href="/topics/Suffolk_County%2C_NY">Suffolk</a> police responded to a report at 8 a.m. and found a man dead in a pickup truck equipped with a plow. It did not appear as if the truck, on Samantha Drive, had been in an accident and the engine was running. The cause of death had not been determined by Sunday night. The man's name was not made public because his family had not yet been notified. 
By the time the snow and the gale-strength winds headed northeast toward Cape Cod and <a href="/topics/Nantucket">Nantucket</a> at midafternoon, more than 26 inches was measured in <a href="/topics/Upton%2C_NY">Upton</a> by the <a href="/topics/National_Weather_Service">National Weather Service</a>. That represents the highest total snowfall in a single storm since 1949, when <a href="/topics/Brookhaven%2C_NY">Brookhaven</a> National Laboratory began keeping records. The previous record was 23 inches in 1978. 
Locally, <a href="/topics/Suffolk_County%2C_NY">Suffolk</a> County bore the brunt of this storm; <a href="/topics/Nassau_County%2C_NY">Nassau</a> County and New York City got off with only about a foot of snowfall. 
"<a href="/topics/Long_Island%2C_NY">Long Island</a> was definitely one of the hardest-hit places in the country," said weather service meteorologist Jim Connolly. Before battering the Island, the storm shut down Washington, D.C., and <a href="/topics/Philadelphia">Philadelphia</a>, and smothered <a href="/topics/New_Jersey%2C_NY">New Jersey</a>. 
The <a href="/topics/Long_Island_Rail_Road">Long Island Rail Road</a> said it had actually performed well - despite the stranded train. 
"Other than that one incident . . . basically our train service did well," said <a href="/topics/LIRR">LIRR</a> president <a href="/topics/Helena_Williams">Helena Williams</a>. "We were able to keep trains running. It was just a terrific effort by employees." 
More than 500 trains ran through the snowstorm. And 184 were either delayed or canceled. 
Antifreeze-spraying trains operated all night Saturday, but they could not forestall the shutdown of service between <a href="/topics/Ronkonkoma%2C_NY">Ronkonkoma</a> and <a href="/topics/Greenport%2C_NY">Greenport</a> on Saturday night and all day Sunday, service on the <a href="/topics/Far_Rockaway%2C_NY">Far Rockaway</a> and <a href="/topics/Long_Beach%2C_NY">Long Beach</a> lines through the early-morning hours and systemwide delays of more than an hour on some branches. Some trains skipped stops because speeding through a station helps knock snowdrifts from the tracks, <a href="/topics/LIRR">LIRR</a> officials said. 
"As the snow began to accumulate, it became more difficult in blizzard conditions to keep trains on schedule," Williams said. "Once you get one train with a delay, you get a ripple effect of other delays." 
Flights to some cities originating at <a href="/topics/Islip%2C_NY">Islip</a> MacArthur Airport were canceled Sunday. The airport reopened Sunday morning after closing down overnight, after the last scheduled arrival Saturday night. The storm canceled 1,200 flights in and out of Kennedy, LaGuardia and <a href="/topics/Newark">Newark</a>. 
Blizzard conditions kept snow plow drivers busy. In <a href="/topics/Eastport%2C_NY">Eastport</a>, plow driver <a href="/topics/Kevin_Nolan">Kevin Nolan</a> of <a href="/topics/Riverhead%2C_NY">Riverhead</a> began clearing snow in the <a href="/topics/King_Kullen">King Kullen</a> shopping center at 11 p.m. Saturday - a largely losing battle. He was still at it at 11 the next morning. 
"I couldn't see two feet in front of me," he said of plowing through the night. His headlights made it worse, he said, so he turned them off. "This has got to be the biggest snowfall I've seen in 20 years," said Nolan, who was relieved after his all-nighter by plow driver Jimmy McBride. 
By midday Sunday, many residents shifted from snow removal to snow recreation. At <a href="/topics/Bethpage%2C_NY">Bethpage State Park</a>, hills on two golf courses were opened for sledding at 11 and within an hour several dozen families were enjoying the slopes. 
Anthony Esposito of <a href="/topics/Amityville%2C_NY">Amityville</a> and his wife brought their sons Vittorio, 8, and Alessio, 6, for sled rides - and were waiting when the park opened. "They had a blast. They don't want to leave," Esposito said at noon, "but we have to go eat. But we're coming back right after lunch." 
With AP 
&gt;&gt; PHOTOS: <a href="http://www.newsday.com/long-island/li-gears-up-for-snowstorm-1.1661330">Latest on LI</a> | <a href="http://www.newsday.com/long-island/snowstorm-hits-the-east-coast-hard-1.1662123"> East Coast buried | </a><a href="http://www.newsday.com/long-island/photos-li-snow-scenes-from-the-archives-1.203376">Classic LI snowstorms</a> | <a href="http://myli.mycapture.com/mycapture/photos/Album.aspx?EventID=461938&amp;CategoryID=21708">Send your photos!</a> &gt;&gt; LIVE: <a href="http://weather.newsday.com">Latest forecast and radar</a> | <a href="http://longisland.newsday.com/newsday/traffic/">Traffic and LIRR snarls</a> &gt;&gt; ALERTS: <a href="http://longisland.newsday.com/statusupdates/">School and organization closings</a> | <a href="http://www.newsday.com/services/newsletters-and-alerts-1.1311863">Breaking news</a> &gt;&gt; DIVERSIONS: <a href="http://www.exploreli.com/recreation/sledding-on-long-island-1.585340">Going out? Best sledding spots</a> | <a href="http://www.newsday.com/2.2674">Staying in? Top 9 of 2009 lists</a>

LISNOW21

Blizzard's 26 inches of snow sets LI record

Snow dog

The blizzard of 2009 forced the cancellation of many <a href="/topics/Long_Island_Rail_Road">Long Island Rail Road</a> trains and delayed others. But the worst rider experience may have occurred on the 2:54 a.m. to <a href="/topics/Ronkonkoma%2C_NY">Ronkonkoma</a>, whose passengers were stranded for hours without heat. 
Passengers complained the crew provided no specific information on what was happening. "They didn't give us any information," said <a href="/topics/Hofstra_University">Hofstra University</a> student Sarah Arrington. "We didn't know whether it was going to be five minutes or two hours, and it ended up being three hours without any heat. It was just absolutely miserable." 
<a href="http://www.newsday.com/long-island/blizzard-hits-long-island-1.1661330">&gt;&gt; PHOTOS: Record-breaking snow pounds LI</a> 
LIRR President <a href="/topics/Helena_Williams">Helena Williams</a> said the two conductors frequently updated passengers. 
<a href="http://www.newsday.com/news/weekend-blizzard-still-effecting-long-island-commuters-1.1664700">&gt;&gt;VIDEO: Click here to see how the blizzard is effecting your commute today</a> 
The train with 150 passengers - including 50 picked up from the 1:17 a.m. from Penn Station that was canceled in <a href="/topics/Farmingdale%2C_NY">Farmingdale</a> at 2:38 a.m. because conditions were too snowy for an electric train - left <a href="/topics/Manhattan">Manhattan</a> on time. It was scheduled to reach <a href="/topics/Ronkonkoma%2C_NY">Ronkonkoma</a> at 4:14 a.m. 
Delayed by drifting snow and frozen switches at <a href="/topics/Jamaica%2C_NY">Jamaica</a> and <a href="/topics/Hicksville%2C_NY">Hicksville</a>, it arrived in <a href="/topics/Farmingdale%2C_NY">Farmingdale</a> at 4:46 a.m. and took on the waiting passengers, Williams said. It headed east but rolled to a halt 15 minutes later, east of <a href="/topics/Wyandanch%2C_NY">Wyandanch</a> when its diesel locomotive, one of the group purchased in 1998 that has caused repeated maintenance problems for the railroad, went kaput. Emergency lights illuminated the cars. Once the engine broke, there was no more heat coming to the cars, Williams said. 
"Moisture got into the engine and just shut it down," Williams said. 
The railroad dispatched a team of troubleshooters on another engine stationed at <a href="/topics/Ronkonkoma%2C_NY">Ronkonkoma</a> for the storm. "They tried to fix it and were unsuccessful," spokesman Joe Calderone said. 
<a href="http://www.newsday.com/long-island/nassau/december-blizzard-1.1663443">&gt;&gt;VIDEO: Click here to see the blizzard in different parts of LI</a> 
Then an LIRR diesel switching engine was brought in from the west because there is only one track in that area. The effort to tow the train was further delayed by frozen couplers on the engine and train that had to be thawed. 
So it wasn't until 6:40 that the train began going backward to <a href="/topics/Farmingdale%2C_NY">Farmingdale</a>, arriving at 8. The passengers boarded the next <a href="/topics/Ronkonkoma%2C_NY">Ronkonkoma</a> train that left <a href="/topics/Farmingdale%2C_NY">Farmingdale</a> at 8:13 a.m. and arrived at <a href="/topics/Ronkonkoma%2C_NY">Ronkonkoma</a> about 8:45 a.m., nine minutes late and about seven and a half hours after 50 of the passengers first boarded in <a href="/topics/Manhattan">Manhattan</a>. 
The diesel engine that broke down was purchased by LIRR in 1998 from EMD, a company that no longer exists. 
Maureen Michaels, chairwoman of the LIRR Commuter Council, said the odyssey reflected two of her advisory group's biggest concerns. "We are getting more and more complaints about lack of effective communication during disruptions," she said. "We do not believe that they had the necessary equipment strategically placed to rescue a disabled diesel train" considering their record of breakdowns and the weather. 
<a href="http://www.newsday.com/long-island/nassau/a-day-of-fun-in-the-snow-1.1664234">&gt;&gt;VIDEO: Click here to LI kids play in the snow</a> 
With Michael Amon 
&nbsp; 
&nbsp; 
&nbsp; 
&gt;&gt; PHOTOS: <a href="http://www.newsday.com/long-island/li-gears-up-for-snowstorm-1.1661330">Latest on LI</a> | <a href="http://www.newsday.com/long-island/snowstorm-hits-the-east-coast-hard-1.1662123">East Coast buried | </a><a href="http://www.newsday.com/long-island/photos-li-snow-scenes-from-the-archives-1.203376">Classic LI snowstorms</a> | <a href="http://myli.mycapture.com/mycapture/photos/Album.aspx?EventID=461938&amp;CategoryID=21708">Send your photos!</a> &gt;&gt; LIVE: <a href="http://weather.newsday.com">Latest forecast and radar</a> | <a href="http://longisland.newsday.com/newsday/traffic/">Traffic and LIRR snarls</a> &gt;&gt; ALERTS: <a href="http://longisland.newsday.com/statusupdates/">School and organization closings</a> | <a href="http://www.newsday.com/services/newsletters-and-alerts-1.1311863">Breaking news</a> &gt;&gt; DIVERSIONS: <a href="http://www.exploreli.com/recreation/sledding-on-long-island-1.585340">Going out? Best sledding spots</a> | <a href="http://www.newsday.com/2.2674">Staying in? Top 9 of 2009 lists</a>

LITRAV21

Stranded LIRR passengers: Crew provided no information

For local retailers, the storm that brought up to 26 inches of snow couldn't have come at a worse time. 
The weekend before <a href="/topics/Christmas">Christmas</a> - one of the busiest periods of the holiday shopping season - fell victim to "the perfect retail storm," said Britt Beemer, founder and chairman of America's Research Group in <a href="/topics/Florida">Florida</a>. He estimated that sales fell by as much as 60 percent on Saturday night and Sunday in locations where the storm hit hard - cutting holiday season retail sales on the East Coast by as much as 5 percent. 
<a href="http://www.newsday.com/long-island/blizzard-hits-long-island-1.1661330">&gt;&gt; PHOTOS: Record-breaking snow pounds LI</a> 
"It's just the classic illustration of the worst possible storm in the worst possible retail year," Beemer said. 
Area economists said the heavy snowfall on Long Island means retailers here may take among the biggest losses. 
"I don't think everything is lost, but certainly, the timing of this storm was bad for retailers," said Long Island Association chief economist Pearl Kamer. "And the fact that Long Island was hit so hard and we don't have public transit like New York City makes it worse." 
<a href="http://www.newsday.com/news/weekend-blizzard-still-effecting-long-island-commuters-1.1664700">&gt;&gt;VIDEO: Click here to see how the blizzard is effecting your commute today</a> 
For the Tanger Outlet in Riverhead, Sunday brought no business at all, as general manager Janine Nebons chose to close the mall to protect her employees and customers. Said Nebons: "As much as you want to be open and be ready to go, you also have to be realistic." 
At Roosevelt Field Mall in Garden City, all the shops and kiosks appeared to be open by early afternoon. <a href="/topics/Macy%27s">Macy's</a> opened at 8 a.m., an hour late, according to Pauline Patterson, an employee who lives in Uniondale. 
Even the Magical Moment with Santa display felt the effects of the storm. Throughout the afternoon, the line waiting to see Santa never exceeded three or four families. 
<a href="http://www.newsday.com/long-island/nassau/december-blizzard-1.1663443">&gt;&gt;VIDEO: Click here to see the blizzard in different parts of LI</a> 
It wasn't just the consumers who stayed away. 
In West Islip, Julie Marchesella woke up several times Saturday night to check the storm's progress, hoping she'd be able to open her Merrick clothing store, Queen of Hearts, Sunday. 
But when she saw that her car was encased in snow up to its windows, she changed her mind. 
"A little snow wouldn't keep us away from our stores," said Marchesella, the vice president of the Nassau Council of Chambers of Commerce, "but this one is kind of devastating." 
Now, she's among the local store owners hoping for brisk sales in coming days. 
"They've got to stay open later, they've got to keep running sales and the ads - and then pray," said Joel R. Evans, a professor at <a href="/topics/Hofstra_University">Hofstra University</a>'s Zarb School of Business, who suggested that retailers try lunchhour doorbusters or other deals. 
There are, of course, the rare stores that benefit from blizzards - such as Trio Hardware in Plainview. Business boomed there Saturday, as customers sought shovels and rock salt. While Sunday was quieter, owners Francesca and Bruce Carlow kept the store open, one of the few in the Morton Village Plaza strip mall. 
"We have never, never not opened the store for weather," Francesca Carlow said. With Mark Harrington 
and Josh Seidman 
&gt;&gt; PHOTOS: <a href="http://www.newsday.com/long-island/li-gears-up-for-snowstorm-1.1661330">Latest on LI</a> | <a href="http://www.newsday.com/long-island/snowstorm-hits-the-east-coast-hard-1.1662123"> East Coast buried | </a><a href="http://www.newsday.com/long-island/photos-li-snow-scenes-from-the-archives-1.203376">Classic LI snowstorms</a> | <a href="http://myli.mycapture.com/mycapture/photos/Album.aspx?EventID=461938&amp;CategoryID=21708">Send your photos!</a> &gt;&gt; LIVE: <a href="http://weather.newsday.com">Latest forecast and radar</a> | <a href="http://longisland.newsday.com/newsday/traffic/">Traffic and LIRR snarls</a> &gt;&gt; ALERTS: <a href="http://longisland.newsday.com/statusupdates/">School and organization closings</a> | <a href="http://www.newsday.com/services/newsletters-and-alerts-1.1311863">Breaking news</a> &gt;&gt; DIVERSIONS: <a href="http://www.exploreli.com/recreation/sledding-on-long-island-1.585340">Going out? Best sledding spots</a> | <a href="http://www.newsday.com/2.2674">Staying in? Top 9 of 2009 lists</a>

News

LISHOP21

Storm's timing delivers hard blow to LI retailers

shop

Hundreds of Long Island schools and organizations announced they're closing Monday, or delaying their opening, after a record weekend snowstorm that left up to 27 inches of snow on the ground. 
Schoolkids by the thousands got an additional day to expand snow forts, build a higher snowman and engage in snowball fights. 
Many of their parents weren't so lucky, however. Commuters Monday face a potential nightmare of clogged roads and dangerous driving conditions. 
&gt;&gt; SCHOOL CLOSINGS: <a href="http://longisland.newsday.com/statusupdates/"> Click here for hundreds of school and organization closings and delays for today and tonight</a> 
&gt;&gt; LIVE: <a href="http://longisland.newsday.com/newsday/traffic/">Traffic and LIRR conditions</a> | <a href="http://weather.newsday.com">Weather forecast and radar</a> | <a href="http://www.newsday.com/services/newsletters-and-alerts-1.1311863">Breaking news alerts</a> 
&gt;&gt; PHOTOS: <a href="http://www.newsday.com/long-island/li-gears-up-for-snowstorm-1.1661330">Latest photos from around LI</a> | <a href="http://www.newsday.com/long-island/photos-li-snow-scenes-from-the-archives-1.203376">Classic LI snowstorms</a> | <a href="http://myli.mycapture.com/mycapture/photos/Album.aspx?EventID=461938&amp;CategoryID=21708">Send your photos!</a> 
&gt;&gt; DIVERSIONS: <a href="http://www.exploreli.com/recreation/sledding-on-long-island-1.585340">Going out? Best sledding spots</a> | <a href="http://www.newsday.com/2.2674">Staying in? Top 9 of 2009 lists</a>

LISKUL21

Hundreds of LI schools, groups closed or delayed after blizzard

sledding

The winter storm that walloped <a href="/topics/Long_Island%2C_NY">Long Island</a> this weekend couldn't have come at a better time for the towns and counties charged with clearing snow from the roads, officials said Sunday.
The weekend storm allowed snow removal crews to leave for last commuter parking lots, train stations, and areas around courthouses and some county buildings. 
"We lucked out in the timing," said Ray Ribeiro, <a href="/topics/Nassau_County%2C_NY">Nassau</a>'s public works commissioner. "If we were doing this as part of a regular morning commute, it would have been 10 times more difficult." 
But the storm falling on the weekend also meant the hundreds of municipal employees working islandwide will all be paid overtime for their efforts. 
Ribeiro estimated his department's overtime bill at $150,000 and growing Sunday afternoon. <a href="/topics/Suffolk_County%2C_NY">Suffolk</a> County spokesman Dan Aug said his county's overtime bill would fall between $800,000 and $1 million, though he said County Executive <a href="/topics/Steve_Levy">Steve Levy</a> would seek federal reimbursement for the storm. 
Several town officials predicted the storm would end up costing well into the six figures, but said the funds would be easily absorbed in 2009 storm budgets that had yet to be tapped. 
<a href="/topics/Huntington%2C_NY">Huntington</a> Town spokesman A.J. Carter said the storm would cost between $500,000 and $600,000, well within the $1 million in the town's 2009 snow removal budget, which he said had barely been touched. 
Crews worked from early Saturday morning, when trucks from Nassau, Suffolk and the Island's 10 towns began laying salt and sand on the roads, until Sunday night, when parking lots at courthouses and train stations were cleared.
<a href="/topics/Richard_Baker">Richard Baker</a>, <a href="/topics/Islip%2C_NY">Islip</a>'s acting public works supervisor, said the town had more than 264 vehicles with plows on the roads, along with 151 plows from private contractors. <a href="/topics/Brookhaven%2C_NY">Brookhaven</a> had more than 500 plows on town roads, Highway Superintendent John Rouse said. 
Rouse's men, he said, were unsung heroes pushing through the long hours on a mix of "pride and caffeine."
While the storm was a challenge for all the Island's public works departments, on the East End, where the snow was heaviest, it was a much tougher fight. 
<a href="/topics/Southold%2C_NY">Southold</a> Highway Superintendent Peter Harris said the storm was the worst since the blizzard of 1978. 
"It wasn't a pleasure for the guys to be out there," said Harris, who said he had 30 plows working through the night. As it did elsewhere, drifting snow made it necessary to plow some roads more than once.
Harris said the storm could cost the town up to $20,000.
"Luckily, I do have some funds I kind of sat on in case we did have a snowstorm before the end of the year," Harris said, "but I certainly wasn't expecting to get 24 inches."

LIROAD21

Officials: Storm's timing was good for clearing roads

Sunrise Highway

KINGS PARK 
Up on the roof 
Chris Wolf stood on the roof of his <a href="/topics/Kings_Park%2C_NY">Kings Park</a> home, shoveling off snow that had risen past his second-floor windows lest it turn his first floor into an indoor winter wonderland. 
"It had to be a 4-foot drift on the roof," he said. 
Wolf, 36, said he didn't think he had a leaky roof, but "I didn't want to find out." 
He had been shoveling snow since 11 a.m. in the biggest snowfall he had seen "in at least 10 years," he said. 
If it wasn't for the wintry blast, he said, he and his family probably would have gone to church. But the children's Christmas pageant there was canceled due to the weather, to no great disappointment of his children. 
"They were too excited about the snow," Wolf said. 
Indeed, on the ground below him, two of his children and a young friend lay in a snowdrift, squealing as the shovels of snow he sent landed in cold, mushy piles on their faces and heads. 
<a href="http://www.newsday.com/news/weekend-blizzard-still-effecting-long-island-commuters-1.1664700">&gt;&gt;VIDEO: Click here to see how the blizzard is effecting your commute today</a> 
&nbsp; 
HUNTINGTON 
Family pitches in 
Shoveling was a family affair in <a href="/topics/Huntington%2C_NY">Huntington</a>, where Diana Arato, 16, spent the morning clearing her father's driveway along with a few family members and her best friend. 
"There's, like, three girls in this house, so it kind of takes us a while," Arato explained. She donned a colorful outfit for the task - pink sweater, black flowered pants and a rainbow-striped hat. Her father's driveway slopes upward, so she had to approach with caution. 
"You can't really go up and down" while shoveling, she said. "You fall. So you go from the side." 
After shoveling, Arato said she planned to prepare for her role in the <a href="/topics/Cold_Spring_Harbor%2C_NY">Cold Spring Harbor</a> High School student production of "Me and My Girl." The play had to be canceled the night before due to the storm. 
"Saturday's really a big night, but it's understandable," Arato said. "It's kind of a letdown." 
<a href="http://www.newsday.com/long-island/nassau/december-blizzard-1.1663443">&gt;&gt;VIDEO: Click here to see the blizzard in different parts of LI</a> 
&nbsp; 
AMAGANSETT 
'Extraordinary' shoveling 
On the East End, the places most heavily snowed in were <a href="/topics/Amagansett%2C_NY">Amagansett</a> and <a href="/topics/Sag_Harbor%2C_NY">Sag Harbor</a>. In <a href="/topics/Amagansett%2C_NY">Amagansett</a>, Henry Uihlein, 59, was out Sunday shoveling his long driveway. 
"This is the first time I haven't been able to get out of my driveway, and I've lived here since 1987," he said. "There are 3-foot drifts up to the top of my car. I have a 4-foot drift of snow at the end of my driveway, from the town plows. I'll have to do an extraordinary amount of shoveling to get out." 
Harvey Bennett, 59, was clearing a 3-foot drift of snow from his <a href="/topics/Amagansett%2C_NY">Amagansett</a> tackle shop Sunday. "This is the most snow I've seen since I've had this store for 12 years," he said. "I spent the morning plowing out mine and my neighbor's driveways, in the woods. We had over 2 feet of snow back there." 
<a href="http://www.newsday.com/long-island/nassau/a-day-of-fun-in-the-snow-1.1664234">&gt;&gt;VIDEO: Click here to LI kids play in the snow</a> 
OYSTER BAY 
Calling in some favors 
Mike Ringle, 52, of <a href="/topics/Oyster_Bay%2C_NY">Oyster Bay</a>, spent Sunday afternoon digging his car out from the side of Berry Hill Road. 
Ringle lives at the end of a 300-yard driveway, and he reasoned that leaving his car by the street was a safer bet than parking near his home. 
Unfortunately, Ringle accidentally ripped his windshield wipers off while brushing the snow from his car. To make matters worse, his landscaper, who he hired to plow his driveway, failed to show up. 
Ringle joked that it was getting about time to call a friend with a snowplow. "I've got a lot of favors I can ask for," he said. "Might have to do that soon." 
east end 
Struggling against winds 
Both the North and South Forks were hit with more than 2 feet of snow, according to the <a href="/topics/National_Weather_Service">National Weather Service</a>. But across the East End, the impact was much worse because of the strong north winds blowing snow over fields and vineyards. <a href="/topics/Southold%2C_NY">Southold</a> Town and State Highway Department crews tried to keep Route 25 and town roads open, but blowing snow hindered their efforts. Long stretches of Sound Avenue in <a href="/topics/Riverhead%2C_NY">Riverhead</a> and <a href="/topics/Southold%2C_NY">Southold</a>, and Routes 48 and 25 in <a href="/topics/Southold%2C_NY">Southold</a> were severely hit with high snow drifts that made passage almost impossible. Southold highway crews said they would not be able to get ahead of the snow until the wind died down. 
<a href="http://www.newsday.com/long-island/nassau/long-islanders-stock-up-on-food-for-the-storm-1.1661376">&gt;&gt;VIDEO: Click here to see what LIers are stocking up for in preparation for the blizzard</a>

LIVIGN21

Scenes from the blizzard of 2009

Geese

The Tanger Outlet Center in Riverhead shut down entirely Sunday, because of the storm, on what many consider one of the busiest shopping days of the holiday season.
While Christmas music continued to play in the parking lot, the walkways and stores were silent - and the parking lots were empty, but for mountains of snow.
A sign on the mall - as well as messages posted to Tanger's Web site and on its voice mail - said the outlets were closed.
General manager Janine Nebons said as of yesterday evening her staff had hoped to open today. But by this morning, when a snow emergency was declared for Riverhead, those plans changed.
"The fact of the matter is we've got 1,500 employees that need to get to work and we just wouldn't jeopardize anybody's safety," Nebons said. "As much as you want to be open and be ready to go, you also have to be realistic."
Nebons said the outlet planned to reopen Monday. 
Still, there were those who braved the weather to stop at Tanger on the Sunday before Christmas - only to have to go elsewhere.
"I'm going to have to travel all over" to find another place to shop, said Havier Mosquera, who drove from <a href="/topics/Queens%2C_NY">Queens</a> with his family to the Riverhead mall for last-minute holiday shopping.
<a href="/topics/Manhattan">Manhattan</a> resident Larry Lediger had hoped to find an open restaurant after an unplanned hotel stay nearby. Tanger restaurants, however, were closed, too.
"There's no place to get anything to eat," Lediger said. 
Meanwhile, Tanger's <a href="/topics/Deer_Park%2C_NY">Deer Park</a> outlet, known as The Arches, opened at noon Sunday - three hours later than scheduled, said general manager Curt Fickeisen. The majority of stores opened, Fickeisen said, although he noted that he wasn't sure whether the mall would stay open all day.
"If this was mid-January or mid-February, it might be a different story, but five days before Christmas, we want to give our shoppers all the time they need," he said.
But an hour and a half after opening, the Carter's outlet at The Arches hadn't had a single customer, said store manager Monica Pachecl, who said she was thinking of closing early, especially since traveling the local roads had been difficult.

LITANG21

Storm shuts Tanger outlet in Riverhead

As a ferocious storm moved through <a href="/topics/Long_Island%2C_NY">Long Island</a>, residents who needed to travel faced a dilemma Sunday: Driving was discouraged as the roads turned icy, flights in and out were canceled at all the region's airports, and the <a href="/topics/Long_Island_Rail_Road">Long Island Rail Road</a> was hampered by snowdrifts and frozen switches. 
<a href="http://www.newsday.com/long-island/blizzard-hits-long-island-1.1661330">&gt;&gt; PHOTOS: Record-breaking snow pounds LI</a> 
Parts of <a href="/topics/Long_Island%2C_NY">Long Island</a> got more than 20 inches of snow, the <a href="/topics/National_Weather_Service">National Weather Service</a> said. 
<a href="/topics/LIRR">LIRR</a> systemwide delays of one to two hours were the norm, but for some the homeward journey took four hours - and counting. 
One <a href="/topics/Ronkonkoma%2C_NY">Ronkonkoma</a>-bound <a href="/topics/LIRR">LIRR</a> train with 150 passengers on board left Penn Station at 2:53 a.m. and was supposed to reach its terminus at 4:14 a.m., but by 7 a.m. it was still en route, stranded in <a href="/topics/Wyandanch%2C_NY">Wyandanch</a>. There, a rescue engine was coupled to the train and began towing it back to <a href="/topics/Farmingdale%2C_NY">Farmingdale</a>, where passengers switched to a second train about 8 a.m., the <a href="/topics/LIRR">LIRR</a> said. 
Drifting snow and frozen switches had delayed the train at <a href="/topics/Jamaica%2C_NY">Jamaica</a> and <a href="/topics/Hicksville%2C_NY">Hicksville</a>, spokeswoman Susan McGowan said. Some of the passengers may have been on an earlier train that left Penn Station at 1:16 a.m. and for them, the journey home would have taken six hours - and counting. 
There were a few exceptions, including two <a href="/topics/Hofstra_University">Hofstra University</a> students who had been on their way back to campus after working Saturday night as bartenders in <a href="/topics/Manhattan">Manhattan</a> and missed their stop in <a href="/topics/Mineola%2C_NY">Mineola</a>. 
William Moriarty, a <a href="/topics/Boston">Boston</a> resident, said, "We were heading towards <a href="/topics/Mineola%2C_NY">Mineola</a> but we missed the station. We were stuck out there for three hours with not much information at all" from the train crew. 
He was still at the <a href="/topics/Farmingdale%2C_NY">Farmingdale</a> depot at 9 a.m. "waiting for the trains to start again or a bus or a taxi or anything to move. I've been trying to get back to Hofstra since midnight." 
Fellow student and best friend Sarah Arrington said, "They didn't give us any information. We didn't know what it was going to be five minutes or two hours, and it ended up being three hours without any heat or lights. It was just absolutely miserable." 
After arriving back at <a href="/topics/Farmingdale%2C_NY">Farmingdale</a>, she said, "they told us they were going to make sure we had buses or something - but nothing. We're just sitting here." She said the only announcements made at the station were general about delays but no specific details. 
The railroad had patrol trains and antifreeze trains operating all night, but they were not enough to forestall the shutdown of the <a href="/topics/Far_Rockaway%2C_NY">Far Rockaway</a> and <a href="/topics/Long_Beach%2C_NY">Long Beach</a> lines throughout the early-morning hours. 
"It's been a challenge," McGowan said. 
Some trains were skipping stops - and, in effect, doubling as snowplows - because speeding through a station knocks snowdrifts from the tracks, <a href="/topics/LIRR">LIRR</a> officials said. "Customers at stations may see some trains operating nonstop between stations, and we ask them to please don't get frustrated. They're keeping up their speed to move snow off the rails and the third rail," McGowan said. 
Some electric trains are also equipped with scraper shoes to remove snow and ice from the third rail, she said. 
For those scheduled to fly or awaiting flights bringing holiday guests, the looming blizzard caused travel headaches even before it arrived. 
Dozens of workers planned to plow runways all night at <a href="/topics/Long_Island%2C_NY">Long Island</a> MacArthur Airport in <a href="/topics/Ronkonkoma%2C_NY">Ronkonkoma</a> so flights could take off and land this morning as scheduled, the commissioner in charge said Saturday. 
Barring whiteout conditions, a crew of 68 was to work overnight to ready the airport for the day's business. That begins with the arrival of a Southwest flight from <a href="/topics/Tampa">Tampa</a> at 10:05 a.m., and the departure of another Southwest flight for <a href="/topics/Fort_Lauderdale">Fort Lauderdale</a> at 10:35 a.m., <a href="/topics/Islip%2C_NY">Islip</a> Transportation Commissioner Teresa Rizzuto said. The town runs the airport. 
"We'll be ready to accept the flights," she said. 
Five of seven flights scheduled to depart after 4 p.m. and eight of 12 arriving flights were canceled Saturday afternoon. 
All trips south to <a href="/topics/Baltimore">Baltimore</a>, <a href="/topics/Philadelphia">Philadelphia</a> and Washington, D.C., had been canceled by 10:30 a.m. Not long afterward, the list of scrubbed flights was expanded to include some bound for <a href="/topics/California">California</a>, <a href="/topics/Texas">Texas</a> and <a href="/topics/Florida">Florida</a>. 
At <a href="/topics/LaGuardia_Airport">LaGuardia Airport</a>, <a href="/topics/Chris_Matthews">Chris Matthews</a>, 30, a client services manager, and Ruth Lowe, 25, a sales support staffer, were planning to camp out at the airport overnight. The two Ramsey, N.J., residents hoped to make a 9 a.m. flight to <a href="/topics/Fort_Lauderdale">Fort Lauderdale</a>, Fla., aboard <a href="/topics/JetBlue">JetBlue</a>. 
"We'll look at it as an adventure," said Matthews, their luggage at their sides as they passed time in the food court. 
Forecasters said the storm moving up the East Coast was expected to spare New York City strong winds, but not a deep blanket of snow. 
Department of Sanitation spokesman Keith Mellis said the department would focus first on clearing snow from primary roads and highways needed by police, fire and emergency vehicles. Crews then would address feeder streets that connect to primary routes, he said. 
"We have our salt spreaders positioned throughout the five boroughs," Mellis said. 
&gt;&gt; PHOTOS: <a href="http://www.newsday.com/long-island/li-gears-up-for-snowstorm-1.1661330">Latest photos from around LI</a> | <a href="http://www.newsday.com/long-island/photos-li-snow-scenes-from-the-archives-1.203376">Classic LI snowstorms</a> | <a href="http://myli.mycapture.com/mycapture/photos/Album.aspx?EventID=461938&amp;CategoryID=21708">Send your photos!</a> &gt;&gt; VIDEO: <a href="http://www.newsday.com/long-island/december-blizzard-1.1663443?qr=1">Cleaning up, and laughing in disbelief</a> &gt;&gt; LIVE: <a href="http://weather.newsday.com">Latest forecast and radar</a> | <a href="http://longisland.newsday.com/newsday/traffic/">Traffic and LIRR snarls</a> &gt;&gt; ALERTS: <a href="http://longisland.newsday.com/statusupdates/">School and organization closings</a> | <a href="http://www.newsday.com/services/newsletters-and-alerts-1.1311863">Breaking news</a>

LITRAN21

Long Island roads icy, LIRR delayed, flights canceled

rollover

In more than 13 years of work, Frank Klarmann has never had a snow day. 
Klarmann, of <a href="/topics/Massapequa%2C_NY">Massapequa</a>, is a town electrician most of the time. But on days like Saturday, he puts on the cloak of plowman - heralded by Town of <a href="/topics/Oyster_Bay%2C_NY">Oyster Bay</a> residents searching for a way out of the snow, booed by those who find snow in just-shoveled-out driveways, reviled (on weekdays) by kids looking for a day out of school. 
"The reaction is about 50-50," he said. "We get some cheers, and we get some people who like to dig out early. They're a little unhappy when we plow into their driveways." 
Klarmann, 41, and other drivers in a squad of about 200 trucks from the town's three depots - one in <a href="/topics/Syosset%2C_NY">Syosset</a> and one each on the North and South shores - took off about 12:30 p.m. Saturday to apply a base coat of sand and salt. 
Workers first targeted hillier streets, using time-tested techniques for successful plowing. 
On Capital Heights Road in <a href="/topics/East_Norwich%2C_NY">East Norwich</a>, an especially slick and steep expanse, Klarmann started his six-wheel International snowplow at the base of the hill and drove backward, so the truck would drive on the just-dispersed sand. 
For a plow driver, getting stuck in a snowdrift is especially egregious, punished by excessive mocking from fellow plow drivers. 
"You want to keep that to a minimum," he said, grinning broadly. "Thank God for cell phones. You want to keep that quiet on the old [intercom]." Klarmann said he's never gotten stuck. 
"You need to be slow and steady," he said. "You're deciding where the snow is going. If you go where you haven't plowed, you're going to get stuck." 
It's necessary advice. Plow drivers work until the snow is cleared, often in eight-hour shifts, with breaks in between during long storms. 
"It's going to be a long night," he said. "We'll work til the roads are clear - slow and steady." 
The first powder began to fall at midday Saturday, but Klarmann, a veteran of these sorts of things, said that despite the slow start, the oncoming storm appeared to be a doozy. 
He peeked over the steering wheel of the plow, up toward the darkening sky. All around, <a href="/topics/Syosset%2C_NY">Syosset</a> residents had begun the pre-storm scramble back to their homes. 
Klarmann doesn't have that luxury. Not that he wants it. 
"We're excited when it snows," he said while navigating the town's winding roads. "I love it, because we're going in when everyone else is taking cover." 
The fleet of yellow <a href="/topics/Oyster_Bay%2C_NY">Oyster Bay</a> plows roared into action, first heading out without plow blades to apply a sand-salt mixture. The salt lowers the freezing temperature of the slush while the sand provides traction. An average truck, like the one Klarmann used, can carry about six cubic yards of the stuff, which can be applied in about an hour. 
After snow accumulates to 2 or 3 inches, workers attach the one-ton blades to their trucks, Highway Commissioner Richard Betz said. About 250 trucks do the plowing. Like Klarmann, the drivers are collected from the town's various departments. 
Klarmann said he feels badly when he's forced to trap a car in a mini-avalanche of plowed snow. And yes, it's happened to him. 
"The only difference," Klarmann said, "is that I know the guy who did it." 
&gt;&gt; PHOTOS: <a href="http://www.newsday.com/long-island/li-gears-up-for-snowstorm-1.1661330">Latest on LI</a> | <a href="http://www.newsday.com/long-island/snowstorm-hits-the-east-coast-hard-1.1662123"> East Coast buried | </a><a href="http://www.newsday.com/long-island/photos-li-snow-scenes-from-the-archives-1.203376">Classic LI snowstorms</a> | <a href="http://myli.mycapture.com/mycapture/photos/Album.aspx?EventID=461938&amp;CategoryID=21708">Send your photos!</a> &gt;&gt; LIVE: <a href="http://weather.newsday.com">Latest forecast and radar</a> | <a href="http://longisland.newsday.com/newsday/traffic/">Traffic and LIRR snarls</a> &gt;&gt; ALERTS: <a href="http://longisland.newsday.com/statusupdates/">School and organization closings</a> | <a href="http://www.newsday.com/services/newsletters-and-alerts-1.1311863">Breaking news</a> &gt;&gt; DIVERSIONS: <a href="http://www.exploreli.com/recreation/sledding-on-long-island-1.585340">Going out? Best sledding spots</a> | <a href="http://www.newsday.com/2.2674">Staying in? Top 9 of 2009 lists</a>

LIPLOW20

Riders of the storm plow into action

liPLOW

First thing Saturday morning, <a href="/topics/Amagansett%2C_NY">Amagansett</a> hunting and fishing guide Harvey Bennett took a client duck hunting on <a href="/topics/Long_Island%2C_NY">Long Island</a>'s East End. 
"Hunting is always the best before a big snowstorm, because the animals and birds are looking for shelter and feeding because they can sense when a storm is coming," said Bennett, at work at his tackle shop after he and his client bagged three ducks. "I saw 30 deer this morning." 
He had tried to get gas early at the Hess station in <a href="/topics/Wainscott%2C_NY">Wainscott</a>, but gave up because "the lines were wrapped around the block." 
"It was a madhouse," Bennett said. 
Forecasters said the East End was expected to receive the most snow from the storm - as much as 18 to 20 inches. 
Mindful of the forecast, residents busied themselves preparing for the storm. 
About 10 a.m., Andy Underwood of <a href="/topics/Montauk%2C_NY">Montauk</a> was fueling the equipment he uses to plow driveways at rental apartments he owns. 
"I also help out my neighbors," he noted. 
"At least I got plenty of notice with this storm. This will be great before <a href="/topics/Christmas">Christmas</a>," he said of the chance to have a blanket of snow on the ground for the holiday. 
Jessie Stavola of <a href="/topics/Montauk%2C_NY">Montauk</a> was out early, jogging across the hills of the Montauk Downs State Park golf course. 
"Tomorrow [Sunday] I know there's going to be snow on the ground, and I won't be able to run," she said. "So I have to get my exercise while I can, because I'm training for the softball team at <a href="/topics/Dowling_College">Dowling College</a>, where I'm a sophomore. I also know I'll be stuck in the house the next few days eating, so I want to jog now. 
"I'm really surprised we are going to get this much snow," Stavola said. "I'm very excited, because I just got a new puppy, and I can't wait to see what he's like in the snow." 
Katie Suter of <a href="/topics/East_Hampton%2C_NY">East Hampton</a> made it to a pump to fill her SUVs tank. 
"I'm gassing up and food shopping today," she said. "My three kids are so excited about the storm. They can't wait for it to come because they're getting a new toboggan for <a href="/topics/Christmas">Christmas</a>." 
Ellie and Kevin Cronin of <a href="/topics/East_Hampton%2C_NY">East Hampton</a> were shopping at CVS in the village. 
"We were planning on getting a live Christmas tree this year, but when we heard about the snowstorm, we knew we would have nothing to do. So we decided to come in and buy an artificial tree," she said. "We're planning to spend the whole day decorating it."

LIEAST20

On East End, residents brace for storm

Sharon Oder was stronger than the storm: It meant cancellation of her son's basketball tournament, but no change in her Christmas shopping plans. 
"We were going to come shopping after the game," Oder, of <a href="/topics/Hicksville%2C_NY">Hicksville</a>, said Saturday as snow covered the glass roof over the gift-wrapping desks at <a href="/topics/Broadway%2C_NY">Broadway</a> Mall in <a href="/topics/Hicksville%2C_NY">Hicksville</a>, where she and son Jason were getting relatives' presents boxed. "You gotta do what you gotta do." 
She paused and added, "I feel so stressed." 
Never mind the season's first snowstorm -- Long Islanders felt the pressure or simply were in the spirit to go gift hunting on the last Saturday before Christmas. Malls, chains and shopping complexes were filled with parents, babies in strollers, moviegoers and teenagers hanging out with their friends. 
Three generations of a <a href="/topics/Suffolk_County%2C_NY">Suffolk</a> family traveled to Tanger Outlets in <a href="/topics/Deer_Park%2C_NY">Deer Park</a>, where parking lots were full and most shoppers escaped the wind by hurrying from store to store. Jared Lynton, 6, and his sister, Sheyla, 2, sat in the beach buggy kiddie ride while their mother, <a href="/topics/Tijuana">Tijuana</a> Temple, of <a href="/topics/Bay_Shore%2C_NY">Bay Shore</a>, watched. Their grandfather, Bobby Temple of <a href="/topics/Brentwood%2C_NY">Brentwood</a>, held the bags. 
"I don't call it last-minute shopping," he said. "I call it just enjoying the holidays. The weather is nice. Love it. Cleans the air." 
The children were already wearing their presents from their grandfather: boots for the snow. Sheyla's had pom-poms, while Jared's were deerskin-colored. "My daddy's got them," the boy said. 
For Jenny Gurung, 9, of Woodside, no teacher was going to be left behind as she shopped at Tanger with her grown-up cousin Chadani Gurung. It was the only day off before Christmas for Jenny's father, who has the car, so they came to the outlet center in the morning in hopes of beating the snow. 
"I have in mind getting them scarves and maybe nice sweaters," Jenny said, and began listing her 12 teachers. 
"Twelve?" her cousin said. "You didn't tell me that. I'll get some scarves." 
Others were bulk buying, too. 
At <a href="/topics/Costco">Costco</a> in <a href="/topics/Melville%2C_NY">Melville</a>, a line of cars trailed from the parking lot to the street. "It had to get done," Dominick Gaudioso of <a href="/topics/Lindenhurst%2C_NY">Lindenhurst</a> said of food shopping. "I think people came out because they thought everybody else was going to stay home." 
&gt;&gt; PHOTOS: <a href="http://www.newsday.com/long-island/li-gears-up-for-snowstorm-1.1661330">Latest on LI</a> | <a href="http://www.newsday.com/long-island/snowstorm-hits-the-east-coast-hard-1.1662123"> East Coast buried | </a><a href="http://www.newsday.com/long-island/photos-li-snow-scenes-from-the-archives-1.203376">Classic LI snowstorms</a> | <a href="http://myli.mycapture.com/mycapture/photos/Album.aspx?EventID=461938&amp;CategoryID=21708">Send your photos!</a> &gt;&gt; LIVE: <a href="http://weather.newsday.com">Latest forecast and radar</a> | <a href="http://longisland.newsday.com/newsday/traffic/">Traffic and LIRR snarls</a> &gt;&gt; ALERTS: <a href="http://longisland.newsday.com/statusupdates/">School and organization closings</a> | <a href="http://www.newsday.com/services/newsletters-and-alerts-1.1311863">Breaking news</a> &gt;&gt; DIVERSIONS: <a href="http://www.exploreli.com/recreation/sledding-on-long-island-1.585340">Going out? Best sledding spots</a> | <a href="http://www.newsday.com/2.2674">Staying in? Top 9 of 2009 lists</a>

BZSNOW20

Before the snow hit, Long Islanders hit the malls

It's a simple fact of our complex lives: Nobody cares about everything. 
Some people are "<a href="/topics/American_Idol">American Idol</a>" addicts or crazy sports fans. Others are obsessed with taxes or schools. A relative few are glued to politics, the economy or foreign affairs. The niches get narrower and narrower every day. 
But the weather swallows everyone. 
So bask if you will in this snowy moment of unity, all of Long Island bonded together by the pile of white stuff on the ground. When a forecaster at the <a href="/topics/National_Weather_Service">National Weather Service</a> first used the term "blizzard warning," then spoke the phrase "up to 20 inches" - well, 3 million people were suddenly one. 
High winds? Low visibility? Snow Island! 
"Will the accumulation be enough to keep the shoppers away from <a href="/topics/Roosevelt%2C_NY">Roosevelt</a> Field mall?" Not the hearty ones. 
"Will the Southern State be a nightmare?" Count on it. 
"How much will the neighbor kid charge for shoveling our walk?" Don't be a cheapskate. Just pay. 
How high's it getting? When will it start to melt? The questions keep coming as the snow keeps falling. People talk of little else. The health care debate, the climate summit, Tiger's looming divorce - we'll get back to all of it eventually. 
There's a snow emergency we're living through now. 
BIG NUMBER:Half-a-million dollars bail for <a href="/topics/Bayport%2C_NY">Bayport</a> hothead and alleged <a href="/topics/Andrew_Cuomo">Andrew Cuomo</a> threatener Jack Geoghan! Where do they get these numbers at First District Court? How high would the bail have been if Cuomo were the governor? A cooler head, also known as Supreme Court Justice Carol MacKenzie, finally prevailed, lowering the <a href="/topics/Bayport%2C_NY">Bayport</a> man's bail to $50,000 cash. A serious allegation, certainly. But if this gets half-a-million, how much should the bail be when someone is actually hurt? 
ASKED AND UNANSWERED: How soon til the debut of a spinoff group, the Jonas Sisters-in-Law? . . . Did the <a href="/topics/Labor_Department">Labor Department</a> say 7.2 to 6.8? At least the LI <a href="/topics/Unemployment">unemployment</a> rate is heading DOWN . . . When Shinnecock casino promoter Fred Bess says "everything is negotiable," is that code for "It's the gambling business! Of course it's about the money"? . . . With the <a href="/topics/MTA">MTA</a> threatening to yank subway passes from city school kids, how many retired transit cops would like to hand over their lifetime MetroCards? Come on, guys, lots of you never, ever, ever set foot in the subway. . . . What's the new LI slang for heroin? Doesn't junk sound hopelessly out of date? . . . <a href="/topics/New_York%2C_NY">New York</a>, the unhappiest state? Could it be because people in the other 49 have no idea what they're missing? . . . How many of <a href="/topics/Tom_Suozzi">Tom Suozzi</a>'s big ideas - "New Suburbia," "Cool Downtowns," "Fix Albany" - survive the Mangano years? . . . Flipping his car, watching it burst into flames - then walking safely away? Was that guy at the <a href="/topics/Islandia%2C_NY">Islandia</a> LIE exit just lucky or the luckiest driver on earth? . . . What's <a href="/topics/James_Cameron">James Cameron</a>'s avatar? A big-budget <a href="/topics/Hollywood">Hollywood</a> director, giggling outside a busy box office? . . . As America starts to look more and more like <a href="/topics/Queens%2C_NY">Queens</a>, some issues are not addressed in the <a href="/topics/Census_Bureau">Census Bureau</a>'s new ethnicity-diversity report: Who's the <a href="/topics/Helen_Marshall">Helen Marshall</a> of America? Who's the <a href="/topics/Richard_Brown_%28politician%29">Richard Brown</a>? For those who don't know, they are the borough president and district attorney, respectively. 
E-mail ellis@henican.com. Follow on Twitter@henican.

NYHEN20

No time for news - it's snowing on Long Island!

With the first winter storm of the year bearing down on Long Island, the American Automobile Association released tips on how to drive safely in icy and snowy conditions.
 Clean snow and ice off your vehicle. The first step of safe winter driving is to make sure your vehicle can be seen by others by cleaning off all snow and ice, according to AAA. In addition, turn on the vehicle and let the heater run briefly before turning on the defroster.
 Increase following distance. The normal following distance on dry pavement is about three to four seconds. On slippery, icy surfaces, that should be increased to eight to 10 seconds, the AAA recommends.
 Allow more time for braking. Because you need longer visibility and more time to stop on slippery surfaces, try to focus on a longer-range goal to help account for more braking time. AAA says that if you have an anti-lock braking system, don't take your foot off the brake or pump the pedal if you feel the pedal vibrating or pulsing. The system is responding as it was designed to work.
 Steer through the skid. If you find yourself skidding, try to steer safely around any obstacles, because it takes more distance to brake to a stop. Sudden braking can lead to loss of control of the vehicle as well, according to AAA.

LIDRIV20

Snowstorm driving tips

A blizzard, as defined by the <a href="/topics/National_Weather_Service">National Weather Service</a>, is a winter storm with large amounts of snow or blowing snow, winds in excess of 35 mph and visibilities of less than a quarter-mile for an extended period, at least three hours. 
When these conditions are expected, the agency will issue a "blizzard watch" or "blizzard warning."
"In the watch phase, we believe those conditions are favorable to occur," said Brian Ciemnecki, a meteorologist with the <a href="/topics/National_Weather_Service">National Weather Service</a> in Upton.
The difference between the two is the time element, Ciemnecki said. When conditions are 36 hours to 48 hours from happening, a watch is issued. "When we believe the conditions are within 24 to 36 hours, then we would issue a warning," he said.
Based on the time element, Long Island is under a "blizzard watch" through Sunday morning. Snowfall accumulations of 6 to 12 inches with wind gusts of up to 50 mph are possible.
The potential for cold, snowy weather is based on a low-pressure system over the northern Gulf Coast that will track to near Cape Hatteras, N.C., Saturday morning, then deepen as it tracks to the northeast over the Atlantic on Saturday night.
The intense low will produce a swath of heavy snowfall, as well as a corridor of high winds. As of late Friday morning, the exact track of the system is still uncertain. A difference of only 100 miles will have a significant impact on the weather across the region, the <a href="/topics/National_Weather_Service">National Weather Service</a> said.
Ciemnecki said if the low-pressure system tracks south, snow totals could be much lower. If the low pressure moves slightly north, then there could be as much precipitation - rain not snow - and warmer temperatures.

LISNOW19

When a blizzard's a blizzard

A blizzard warning issued for Saturday afternoon and Sunday morning could crimp plans of both merchants and holiday shoppers alike, but many retailers and malls are taking a wait-and-see approach and said they still expect consumers to hit the stores this weekend. 
"The Saturday before <a href="/topics/Christmas">Christmas</a>, being the busiest shopping day of the year, we know that shoppers are going to be coming out to shop," said Nancy Gilbert, director of marketing and business development for the <a href="/topics/Walt_Whitman">Walt Whitman</a> Mall in Huntington Station. "We've had snow on weekends in other holiday seasons in prior years and that hasn't kept shoppers away." 
Long Island could see snowfall of 10 to 14 inches if the storm stays on track, the <a href="/topics/National_Weather_Service">National Weather Service</a> warning said. 
"If it's more than an inch or two, it's going to have a big effect on Sunday," said Joel R. Evans, a business professor at <a href="/topics/Hofstra_University">Hofstra University</a>'s Zarb School of Business. "But given the fact that <a href="/topics/Christmas">Christmas</a> isn't until the end of the week, the question is whether they [retailers] are going to recoup Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday." 
Evans predicted consumers would make a "mad dash" Friday and this morning to beat the storm. Dean Nichol, 45, of East Northport, was one of them Friday, shopping at the <a href="/topics/Walt_Whitman">Walt Whitman</a> Mall. 
"I don't want to contend with the nasty roads," said Nichol, who bought Lancôme products and something from <a href="/topics/Victoria%27s_Secret">Victoria's Secret</a> for his wife, JoEllen. "I am just playing it safe." 
While a snowstorm could give cautious consumers yet another reason not to shop amid a bad recession, the timing could boost online sales, said Matthew Katz, who heads the retail practice of AlixPartners, a global business advisory firm. 
"The Web has been performing well, and we anticipate they will get a bit of added juice if consumers don't want to venture outside," he said. 
Many retailers are still offering discounted and expedited shipping through the weekend, said Scott Krugman, a spokesman for the National Retail Federation, a trade association. 
<a href="/topics/Wal-Mart">Walmart</a>.com, for example, has 97-cent shipping on electronics until Sunday. Many sites have lowered their free-shipping threshold amounts. 
Retailers remained calm. Target, which is expecting the demand for online shopping to be consistent with prior years, set in motion plans to increase its stocks of shovels, scrapers and ice melt at stores that could be affected, said Anne Zeltinger, a Target spokeswoman. Other than that, the company would continue to monitor the weather conditions, she said. 
For local merchants, the potential winter storm could have an upside. 
"This could be a blessing in disguise," said Julie Marchesella, vice president of the Nassau Council of Chambers of Commerce and the owner of Queen of Hearts, a Merrick boutique selling plus-size formal wear, gifts and accessories. "It will keep all of our people at home in their downtowns and they can be safe, shop locally and keep downtown stores vibrant and alive."

Business

BZBLIZ19

Will snow stop Long Island holiday shoppers?

Tanger Outlets shopping 

In the days following a snowstorm, we lament the ice-breaking, the kicking all that muck off our tire wells and the general annoyance it still provides. 
But in that first day of snow falling from the sky, we're awash with the joy and excitement of playing in the fresh white powder. Building forts, throwing snowballs, making snowmen. And, of course, sledding! 
It's a right of passage growing up on <a href="/topics/Long_Island">Long Island</a>. Climbing a hill with a piece of plastic designed to make you race down that little mountain at speeds you never thought possible without the help of a car. 
There are only a few days each year we get to partake in this winter tradition, so be prepared. Get your boots and gloves ready, your wool hat and hot chocolate, too. And of course, the directions from your home to any of these places. 
<a href="http://www.exploreli.com/recreation/newbridge-road-park-1.808961">NEWBRIDGE ROAD PARK</a> 
Short and steep, the lone hill at this Bellmore town park presents some of the best sledding you'll find. It's a round hill, which means everyone climbs to the top and can sled downhill in any direction. 
Basically, imagine sleigh-riding down a giant gumdrop. The summit is close to two stories high and the ride to flat ground is about 50 feet long. If you get bored with the sledding, try the indoor ice skating rink at <a href="http://www.exploreli.com/venues/newbridge-arena-1.807395">Newbridge Arena</a> just across the way. 
<a href="http://www.exploreli.com/venues/eisenhower-park-1.807704">EISENHOWER PARK</a> 
If you're searching for a pulsating winter thrill ride, search elsewhere. But if you've got young children and want an ideal family atmosphere for your fun in the snow, this is where to go. Sled Hill at Eisenhower Park in East Meadow is wide and long with a gentle downgrade. 
Other Nassau County parks popular for sledding include <a href="http://www.exploreli.com/venues/christopher-morley-park-1.853539">Christopher Morley</a> in Roslyn, <a href="http://www.exploreli.com/venues/cedar-creek-park-1.853537">Cedar Creek</a> in Wantagh&nbsp;and <a href="http://www.exploreli.com/venues/grant-park-1.811052">Grant Park</a> in Hewlett. 
<a href="http://www.exploreli.com/recreation/parks/bethpage-state-park-1.807531">BETHPAGE STATE PARK</a> 
Plenty of money in recent years went into building the Bethpage Red into a championship course. What does that have to do with snow? Better hills! Better rides!&nbsp; 
<a href="/topics/Bethpage%2C_NY">Bethpage State Park</a> opens both the Red and Green courses for public sledding when weather permits. If you've ever played or driven past any golf course, you already know the advantages of sleigh-riding on such terrain. 
<a href="http://long-island.newsday.com/recreation/parks/herman-griem-park-1.2572158">HERMAN&nbsp;GRIEM&nbsp;PARK</a> 
Props to reader edbo123 for tipping us off to this delightful hill in Wheatley Heights during the <a href="http://www.exploreli.com/recreation/parks/blizzard-hits-long-island-1.2569713">Blizzard of December 2010</a>. The hill is big and wide, capable of handling more than 100 people and sleds. 
There are two separate runs off the same hill. Standing atop the hill, to the right is a short and steep run that brings speed and excitement to its sledders. To the left is a longer run that is not as steep. It gives winter fun-seekers a chance to go dashing through the snow at a slower pace. But there are two separate ledges so if you get a nice long run, you'll have two shallow drops to enjoy. 
<a href="http://www.exploreli.com/venues/heckscher-state-park-1.807958">HECKSCHER PARK</a> 
This hill begins right behind the Old First Presbyterian Church on Main Street in Huntington and leads you right into Heckscher Park. It's relatively small in terms of width, but the length and the decline will satisfy riders. There are four trees placed sporadically near the top of the hill that create natural lanes for older riders and alternate starting points for younger, less experienced sledders. 
Four miles south, Koster Park in Huntington Station is pretty good for the little kids, too. 
TAKE WHAT THEY GIVE YOU 
Schools weren't built solely for educational purposes. OK, so maybe they were, but that shouldn't prevent you from getting the most of what schools offer, both in and out of the classroom. When you hear snow may be a-fallin', scout out your neighborhood schoolyards for decent hills. You'll be surprised what you may find. Local golf courses work well, too, but always call first. Some clubs, be it public or private, are not receptive to the idea.

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Top spots for sledding on Long Island

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COMPLETE COVERAGE: Blizzard of 2009

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