Long Island Hoping For Best But Bracing For Worst As Nor'easter Approaches: 'Get Prepared Now'
ROOSEVELT, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) -- The CBS2 First Alert weather team is tracking a possible winter storm for the weekend.
Residents on Long Island are getting ready for what could be a whole lot of snow.
CBS2's Jennifer McLogan reported Thursday from Roosevelt, where homeowners were ready with snow shovels and ice melt. By noon, the winds had started to whip, as concerns grew. Folks bundled up, wondering if this potential storm will be hit or miss.
Many made a run to the market for the essentials.
"You're stocking up with groceries?" McLogan asked.
LINK: Check The Latest Forecast
"Yes, ahead of time because you never know what happens," said Richard Alvarez of Mineola. "It's always better to be prepared."
Prepare for high winds that could cause outages. For those who live along the coast, boats are out of the water. There could be moderate flooding.
Homeowners sealed exposed water lines, and removed hoses from outside faucets to prevent pipes from bursting. Shovels and ice melt are at the ready.
"Let's think about getting prepared, getting ready, getting smart and being safe. Those are the key things we need to remember for this weekend, with the first significant snowfall in the metropolitan area of 2022," said Hempstead Town Supervisor Donald Clavin. "We're telling residents: Get prepared now. We're getting prepared, we are now, to cover the 1,200 miles of road here in the Town of Hempstead."
Hempstead -- America's largest township -- was gearing up equipment ahead of the storm, and prepping response vehicles.
"We are getting the plows on the trucks, we're putting salt on the back, we are gassing them up. We are gassing all of our extra equipment, in case trees come down," Clavin said.
LINK: Winter Storm Survival Guide
There's a request from those salting, sanding and plowing: Avoid parking on the street if at all possible, and drive in the storm only in an emergency.
"Every time there is a snowstorm, I'm coming to do regular weekly shopping, and it's packed," said Levittown resident Anne Turkovich. "Who knows though, right? Hopefully it's not bad and everybody's safe. And if it's on a weekend, maybe that will mean less people on the road, less people traveling and going to work."
The Long Island Rail Road plans to pretreat tracks and salt at stations.
"I own a scrap metal business. So we just want to make sure the yards are ready for it. We've got the salt," said Freeport business owner Peter O'Donovan.
"I love snow. Snow is awesome. I live in an apartment building, so I don't have to shovel," said Forest Hills resident Leo Bakman.
Some snow lovers said they are headed to New England with their skis.
"I'm just waiting for the snow. I think it's exciting for the kids, not for the adults as much. So it should be fun," said Garden City resident Keiran Gallogy.
"It's been real cold, though. It's been a cold, cold winter," said Elmont resident Golden Okoko.
"Are you looking forward to snow?" McLogan asked.
"No, no. I don't like snow. I want to go to Miami, to be honest," Okoko said.
"I have to be in Merrick at 9 o'clock in the morning to open my store Saturday morning. So it might be a little challenging," Merrick store owner Carol Sobczak said. "We'll get there though."
Animal welfare officials remind pet owners to please bring pets inside.
New York City Is Also Getting Prepared
It was calm out on Thursday night and likely will stay that way into Friday night, but the Big Apple does not want to be caught off guard going into the weekend.
The Department of Sanitation has 280,000 tons of salt on hand. Spreaders are filled and ready to go out as soon as deemed necessary, CBS2's Ali Bauman reported.
Watch: Ali Bauman's 11 p.m. Report
Its new brine started off by pre-treating the bike lanes in Midtown on Thursday night.
A Snow Alert has been issued for Friday, beginning at 4 p.m. It will stay in effect throughout Saturday into Sunday morning. A Snow Alert is the department's higher level winter weather message. It means Sanitation will be coordinating with the departments of Transportation and Emergency Management on snow-clearing protocols.
Trash collection trucks will also be ready to start plowing as soon as 2 inches have fallen.
Be sure to stick with CBS2, CBS News New York and CBSNewYork.com for the latest forecast and weather alerts.
CBS2's Ali Bauman contributed to this report.
