Huntington - Town Supervisor Chad A. Lupinacci and Superintendent of Highways Kevin S. Orelli have issued an update on the early snow storm that took the entire Long Island area, which was expecting little snow and mostly rain, by surprise mid-day on Thursday, November 15.
“Sometimes the weather behaves unpredictably but the Town has been working hard behind the scenes to treat, plow and clear hazards from the Town’s roads and coordinate with the County and State to ensure their roads are clear in the Town of Huntington,” said Supervisor Lupinacci. “I want to thank Highway Superintendent Orelli and his team for the hard work they have done with short notice after an abrupt change in the weather forecast in preparation for the storm this afternoon, the progress they have been able to make under terrible conditions as the storm intensified at the peak of the five o’clock rush hour, and will be continuing to do around the clock to ensure our roads are clear and safe for all motorists.”
Orelli, Huntington’s Superintendent of Highways, issued the following statement with an update on the Town’s progress:
“Our first salt trucks went out at 2/2:30 this afternoon to pre-treat the roads. All Town of Huntington Highway employees were held on mandatory overtime. Everyone was working during and after the storm to clear all Town of Huntington roadways by plowing snow, handling downed trees, and picking up dangerous debris. By 8pm, our crews had responded to over 20 downed tree reports since the start of the storm.
“This was not a large storm. Normally, it wouldn’t be a difficult event to deal with, but key factors like vehicle congestion and the time of day made this storm very problematic. There were numerous accidents and vehicles blocking the roads that contributed to a massive amount of traffic jams. All of these factors prevented our sand/plow trucks from getting to the problem areas as quickly as we would usually be able to.
“Rush hour traffic plus additional accumulation made it very difficult for our trucks to navigate through the area. A usual 40-minute trip turned into a 3+ hour one.
“We were very well prepped for this storm. What we were not - and could not - prepare for was the combination of the perfect storm between snow, commuters and slippery road conditions.
“Be assured: we have all of our crews out on the roads and they will be out there until the job is done.”
To report a downed tree, wire, blocked roadway, or road hazards, residents may submit a ticket through the Highway Department’s At Your Service portal: http://www.huntingtonny.gov/highway or by calling Highway’s 24-hour emergency hotline (631) 499-0444.
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