Cops report 61 accidents in Nassau, 160 in Suffolk

In a span of 14 hours on Wednesday, police on Long Island reported more than 200 motor-vehicle accidents.

And that was before the evening commute home.

With wet, swirling snow most of the morning - taking just a short time off in the afternoon - Long Island drivers faced mostly treacherous road conditions.

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As the evening rush hour began, roads still were dangerously slick. On the southbound Meadowbrook Parkway in Nassau County, where it merges into the Southern State Parkway, at about 3:45 p.m., traffic was bumper to bumper because of a reported accident.

From midnight to 1 p.m., Nassau County police responded to 61 accidents. Suffolk police said there were approximately 120 crashes during the same 13-hour period.

And the Suffolk County Sheriff's Office, which patrols the Long Island Expressway and Sunrise Highway, reported more than 40 accidents from midnight to 2 p.m.

None of the agencies reported serious injuries.

"So far . . . no fatalities," Mike Sharkey, chief of staff for the Sheriff's Office, said Wednesday afternoon. "All injuries were minor, nothing major."

Sharkey said the number of accidents was not surprising. On Tuesday, the Sheriff's Office reported 11 accidents all day, he said.

"But during heavy snow, accidents are up dramatically," Sharkey said. "That's always the case. The best thing is for people to stay home, if they can do it."

Both county commissioners of emergency preparedness offered the same advice Wednesday. The National Weather Service had revised its snowfall forecasts, calling for up to 18.5 inches in some places of Suffolk County and nearly 15 inches in eastern Nassau County.

"If people can stay off roads till we can get them plowed, that will make a big difference for us," said Jim Callahan, commissioner of the Nassau County Office of Emergency Management.

That goes for the evening commute. Once drivers get home, they should stay home.

With heavy snow predicted until midnight, plows and crews will be able to navigate the roadways easier if there is less traffic, officials said.

Joe Williams, Suffolk's commissioner for emergency preparedness, also advised folks to stay off roads if possible. And if they get home and have to shovel, he said, take it slow.

"Every year, we seem to get a few unfortunate incidents, heart attacks and hurt backs, and we want to avoid those," Williams said. "So people who shovel should take a lot of breaks, pace themselves and just be sure to be careful."

"Callahan also advised people to take breaks while shoveling and to touch base with older neighbors or relatives who have trouble getting around in poor weather. "Just check in with them to make sure they have heat and food and are OK," he said.

Williams also said residents should keep vents to fuel-fired appliances and heating systems free of snow. These vents can be covered by snow, and deadly carbon monoxide can back up into living areas, he said.

Suffolk County Executive Steve Levy said the county recognizes three types of emergencies and he called Wednesday's blizzard warning the lowest level of the three. That's because he was confident the crews could handle clearing snow - which fell most of the day - from the roads.

The county opened its emergency response center in Yaphank at 7 a.m. and planned to keep it open until 9 p.m., Levy said. "We're trying to stay ahead of the storm," he said. The response center is designed to coordinate communication between county agencies in high demand during the snowfall.

Levy said there was a report of a county resident dying of cardiac arrest because of shoveling snow. He also indicated there were three accidents involving snowblowers. Neither he nor his staff could provide any details, however.

Williams said the county did not open any emergency shelters. He did say that the county has a call list of 500 people who either live alone or are handicapped. "All have been contacted to see if they need assistance," he said, "and none of them did."

The towns of Hempstead and Huntington declared snow emergencies Wednesday, anticipating more snow and hazardous driving. Other towns announcing emergency conditions or advisories include Riverhead, which issued a weather and travel advisory Wednesday morning, and Brookhaven, which issued a snow alert Tuesday night.

Huntington Town Supervisor Frank Petrone said declaring a snow emergency allows him to close roads, appropriate necessary equipment from all sources and make necessary purchases without following the usual town procedures.

During a snow emergency, residents are asked to limit vehicle travel and remove cars from streets for more thorough plowing, Hempstead spokesman Mike Deery said.

"By minimizing vehicular traffic, roads can be cleared more quickly and residents can minimize the risks associated with driving in storm conditions," Hempstead Supervisor Kate Murray said in a statement.

Also, little things like shoveling out fire hydrants can help emergency crews, Deery said.

In Brookhaven, where some areas east of Route 112 had seven inches of snow on the ground by 1 p.m., officials are pleading with residents to avoid parking on the street.

Parked cars are a huge impediment to clearing the town's roads, none of which are wider than 34 feet, said Highway Superintendent John Rouse.

The town's Web site began playing a message from Rouse at 3 p.m. Wednesday telling residents it is "absolutely imperative" they park in their driveways or even on their lawns. Still, not everyone got the message, Rouse said.

"Now what I have all along our roadways are little glaciers," he said, adding that parked cars make it difficult to get larger equipment through streets.

The town had 500 pieces of equipment on the road, Rouse said. Workers reported for duty at 3 a.m., he said.

With Patrick Whittle