Weathering the storm with a hair dryer

Michael Clemons, 57, uses a portable hair dryer to keep... — Michael Clemons, 57, uses a portable hair dryer to keep warm while standing outside during the storm Monday in Huntington. Credit: Newsday/Sandra Peddie

By Sandra Peddiesandra.peddie@newsday.com @SandraPeddieFebruary 23, 2026 9:04 am

Michael Clemons, 57, stood outside in the storm Monday morning with a battery-operated hair dryer to keep warm.

He said he had to leave the shelter at the Family Service League on Park Avenue in Huntington “to stay out of trouble.” He said he has been out in the storm since 6:30 a.m. because “there are too many knuckleheads" there.

He said he’s been sober for seven years, partly thanks to the hair dryer.

By Sandra Peddie

sandra.peddie@newsday.com @SandraPeddie

Sandra Peddie has been a special writer on Newsday's investigations team since 1993. She has won more than 50 journalism awards and was a finalist for the Public Service Pulitzer Prize in 2014.

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