Residents in the region are facing their third winter storm in two weeks. On Long Island, Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone says Long Island's East End is getting battered by the nor’easter.
Because the storm is winding down elsewhere on Long Island, the County is moving resources to both the North and South Forks.
“With this heavy snow there are impacts on power outages. Combine the heavy snow with high winds, we’ve seen 20 to 30 mile-per-hour winds, sustained winds, and gusts of 45 miles-per-hour on the East End.”
Coastal flooding remains an issue, and the outer beaches have been closed.
Elsewhere in Suffolk, crews have been out all day clearing the roads. Bellone says the afternoon commute will be messy. “These are very difficult conditions to be driving in. If you can stay off the roads, you should stay off the roads. If you can stay home, you should stay home.”
Bellone had earlier set up the county Emergency Operations Center to coordinate efforts with the towns and villages.
"We’re taking a pounding in terms of the weather and in terms of the budget,” he said.
Suffolk County Transit has been suspended all day, and Frontier and Southwest have cancelled all flights at MacArthur Airport.
In Connecticut, Governor Malloy said he expects today’s snowstorm to have a moderate impact. He says light traffic on the highways has enabled the Department of Transportation crews to keep roadways clear.
“I think the roads are in good shape. But we are concerned about a drop in temperature and what that could mean fairly quickly. You know you get down to 29 degrees, 28 degrees, and that’s forecast in parts of our state, things freeze up pretty quickly.”
Malloy advises state residents who don’t need to travel today to stay off the roads. He says the state’s two major utility companies have hundreds of line and tree crews standing by to help restore electricity in case of power outages.
Meanwhile, the City of New Haven has issued a citywide parking ban until Wednesday. People have been asked to park on the even side of the street, and no parking will be available downtown.
Mayor Toni Harp is confident that New Haven is prepared for the storm. "What makes me proudest is the level of professionalism that we have among all of us, that we plan in the summertime for these things, and we execute. So thank you very much for what you do every day to keep the residents of New Haven safe.”
Rick Fontana, the director of Emergency Operations in New Haven, said Mother Nature is going easy on the city. “We don’t anticipate a whole lot of issues with the roadways throughout the next three or four hours. And hopefully it gives us a ride home that will be safe for everybody, but looks like the storm is moving away from the city rather than taking target at it.”
Fontana says there are no residents reporting power outages but there are a few wires that are down.
