Morning commuters find it slow going on Long Island after major snowstorm

Thousands of Long Islanders started the commute to work Thursday after a major storm left up to 16 inches of snow on the ground.

Commuters found major highways plowed but with instances of sudden congestions, with four lanes reduced to two or blowing snow slowing traffic.

Many secondary roads have not yet been plowed -- for some Long Islanders, the toughest part of the commute was just getting out of their neighborhood.

One accident was reported early Thursday on the Northern State Parkway near Manetto Hill Road. The right lane was closed. Another crash on the Long Island Expressway between Little Neck Parkway and Lakeville Road has been cleared.

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On Wednesday, Long Islanders for the most part stayed home.

Listening to warnings of a massive nor'easter, hundreds of thousands of people stayed off the roads and in their houses, hundreds of schools closed down, businesses dismissed employees early, and the Long Island Rail Road successfully transported thousands of commuters eastward before evening fell.

Yet the predicted blizzard packed less of a wallop than expected. Make no mistake - it was messy and ugly out there. But the snowfall -- 8 to 15 inches for Nassau and Suffolk counties as of about 10 p.m., with some accumulation expected overnight -- was less than feared, the National Weather Service said. Wednesday night, weather officials were still trying to determine whether the storm's precipitation, wind and visibility qualified it as a blizzard.

Despite the less-than-expected snowfall, public agencies leaped into action to handle the fallout. Here's some of what happened Wednesday, and how Thursday looks:

ROADS

Town officials said they expect roads to be clear this morning, and Island snow fighters vowed to plow through the night to get the job done.

"We're looking to have every road plowed by tomorrow morning for a safe commute," said John Byrne, deputy highway superintendent in Brookhaven. "That our goal."

The storm brought dangerous driving conditions to roads and fouled commutes Wednesday, but its timing in some ways could not have been better for town officials responsible for salting, sanding and plowing.

It's a new year and government snow removal budgets are flush. Also, a good chunk of the snow fell during normal working hours, so towns did not have to pay crews as much overtime as they did in late December when a blizzard walloped the Island on a weekend.

- Will Van Sant

EMERGENCY SERVICES

Despite the lack of traffic, crashes piled up beginning shortly after the snowfall began.

As of 4:45 p.m. Wednesday in Nassau County, there were 142 accidents, a county police spokesman said. During a typical day, there might be 120 or so.

"Keep in mind," Det. Sgt. Anthony Repalone said, "that a lot of people stayed home today, so traffic was much lighter than a typical weekday."

On the roadways patrolled by the State Police - such as the Northern State Parkway and the Sagtikos State Parkway - there were 91 reported accidents. A typical day might see 10 or 15, said a spokesman, State Trooper Frank Bandiero.

- Matthew Chayes

GOVERNMENT AND SCHOOLS

Most county and town governments across Long Island remained open Wednesday and said they planned to be open Thursday, though some cautioned they were tracking the intensity of the storm overnight.

Most school superintendents, meanwhile, had not decided Wednesday night whether to open Thursday or to go with a delayed schedule.

Hempstead, North Hempstead, Islip and Brookhaven said the doors to town halls will be open Thursday.

"Today [Wednesday] is the main problem," said North Hempstead spokesman Collin Nash. "Tomorrow [Thursday] this should all be over. We hope."

Dan Aug, a spokesman for Suffolk County Executive Steve Levy, said county offices remained open Wednesday and are scheduled to open for normal hours Thursday. Nassau County government will also be open today, said Michael Martino, spokesman for County Executive Ed Mangano.

- Keith Herbert, Will Van Sant, Reid Epstein

AIRPORTS

The snow brought airline travel to a virtual standstill Wednesday. But airlines expect to return to the skies Thursday, with JetBlue, Delta, Continental, Southwest and US Airways all planning to resume flights.

All 30 commercial flights were canceled Wednesday at Long Island MacArthur Airport, but the airport kept runways clear for general aviation flights and any commercial flights, MacArthur spokeswoman Catherine Green said.

Southwest Airlines and US Airways plan to resume flights at MacArthur around noontime Thursday.

At LaGuardia Airport, more than 700 flights were canceled, and "hundreds more" were canceled at Kennedy Airport, said John P. Kelly, a spokesman for the Port Authority.

On a normal day, Kennedy Airport handles 1,000 aircraft movements a day. Wednesday, the snowfall limited activity at the airport to 53 arrivals and 49 departures before lunchtime, Kelly said.

- Keith Herbert, Jennifer Maloney, Sophia Chang

HOSPITALS

Hospitals initiated emergency plans to keep enough staff on hand to continue treating patients until roads were passable again.

As doctors and nurses prepared to remain at work throughout the night Wednesday, hospital administrators said they expected an influx of storm-related injuries this morning, as more motorists venture out on slick roads and homeowners begin digging themselves out.

At the Peconic Bay Medical Center in Riverhead, officials enacted an emergency action plan that requires employees on the grounds to stay until they are released, said spokeswoman Denise Civiletti.

Other hospitals asked for volunteers to work double shifts, and sent vehicles to bring staffers to work in the height of the storm.

- Jennifer Maloney, Mark Harrington, Olivia Winslow

LIPA

Tree limbs downed by rain-soaked snow and wind caused most of Wednesday's 1,500 power outages, the Long Island Power Authority reported, but by nightfall all but 300 had been restored.

As extra crews moved to take on what some expected to be the windiest part of the storm Wednesday night, LIPA stressed "safety and patience" to customers who might be affected by an outage.

"Wind is the biggest issue for us tonight," said LIPA chief executive Kevin Law. "Snow will heighten restoration times."

The 1,500 outages by 5 p.m. were considered light compared with other major storms, and given LIPA's 1.1 million customers.

- Mark Harrington

BUSINESS

Many Long Island workers got the day off because school districts and some companies closed, while many private companies gave workers the option of working from home or taking a vacation day.

Numbers were hard to come by but one Internet service provider, Verizon, said its Web traffic in the Middle Atlantic and Northeast regions was up about 20 percent Wednesday from a normal weekday. "The increase in traffic more than likely is a combination of those teleworking or kids at home from school," the company said.

Some workers came in but were allowed to leave early. National Grid spokeswoman Elizabeth Margulies, who was working from home, said workers were told the offices would close at 3 p.m. for non-essential employees - with their supervisor's permission.

Northrop Grumman, which has offices in Bethpage and Melville employing a total of about 1,900, was open, but spokesman John Vosilla said, "We were given the option to work at home or make up the time during the week or whatever." However, he said, a small night shift was canceled.

- Tom Incantalupo