Long Island Communities Prepare For Major Winter Storm
HICKSVILLE, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) - Preparations are underway on Long Island as residents get ready for high winds, sleet and snow expected to come with Wednesday evening's storm.
As CBS2's Jennifer McLogan reports, the winds are already knocking it out of the park.
"One of the difficulties with this storm is going to be high winds ... That certainly puts the possibility of power outages at a higher level," said said Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone.
So many will be homebound, relying on the internet.
LINK: Check The Latest Forecast
"Even the schools, they don't have a day off. THey do it virtually, right?" said Mineola resident Nashma Sheikh.
"Will you be working from home?" McLogan asked.
"Yes, absolutely," Sheikh said.
Memories of Tropical Storm Isaias are still fresh as PSEG Long Island admits it failed and pledges to do better this time.
LINK: Winter Storm Survival Guide
"We know that with a storm often comes downed power lines, especially with the winds that we are talking about, that is possible," said Nassau County Executive Laura Curran. "More people are working from home, maybe there'll be a few more with the storm, so I am sure PSEG, lessons learned, they are going to be doing everything they can to keep power up and be responsive."
Without huge drifts, the LIRR tells commuters trains will be running, but expect suspension of the ongoing third track work.
"For those of you who don't need to travel and can stay home, please do so. If you absolutely have to travel, we will be running enhanced weekend service," said LIRR president Phillip Eng.
Vehicular traffic was building all day Tuesday as residents run last minute as residents ran last minute errands. There was a mad dash at supermarkets.
"There's lines in the store already. There are people shopping like crazy, buying everything," said Mineola resident Mary LaRosa.
Hardware stores are seeing shovels disappear.
"Salt for the ice. We have a snowstorm coming. We have a nice shovel here and a nice electric cultivator," said Jericho resident Manny Barbados.
"This snow will probably be very heavy, so if you are going out shoveling, there is a possibility of health issues," said Stuart Cameron, chief of department of Suffolk Police.
A new snowblower could be a lifesaver.
"The snow blowers are hard to find," said Port Washington homeowner Erica Pereira.
"A big run on them?" McLogan asked.
"There are only a few left, yeah," Pereira said.
"How much did you spend on it?" McLogan asked.
"Too much! For the size of my driveway," Pereira said.
"A lot of people are still working remotely from home, so you're not going to have that much traffic on the road," said Queens Village resident Barbara Thompson. "Now the concern, are the streets still going to be clean?"
Long Island's snow totals remain uncertain because of the potential for sleet mixing with snow.
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