Politics & Government

Town of Islip Still Battling the Storm

Wind gusts make clearing the roads an ongoing struggle.

Although the snow has stopped falling in the Town of Islip, wind gusts reaching between 30 and 40 mph at times are elongating this storm for those attempting to clear the roads.

At the peak of the storm, 300 pieces of equipment were out clearing the roads, according to Town of Islip Supervisor Phil Nolan, and they were all monitored at the Command Center that tracks the vehicles with a GPS device to ensure that no one gets stuck in the storm.

"We will continue to battle the storm tonight as the wind is blowing the snow back onto the roads," Nolan said. "We have been down every street numerous times already, although some places might not look like that because of the wind gusts. It is brutal."

Find out what's happening in Sayville-Bayportwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Although Nolan said that the roads are drivable now, he recommends staying home.

"We are encouraging people to stay off the roads and keep their cars in the driveway," Nolan said. "We have a lot of work to do on the roads."

Find out what's happening in Sayville-Bayportwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

This is the first major storm of the season, and according to Nolan, it doesn't compare to what hit Islip last year.

"This storm is not as large as what hit our area in December last year," he said. Also, this one won't be as expensive for the town to clean up. "That storm [last year] was entirely on overtime. This is better for us budget wise."

For those traveling into or out of Long Island Islip MacArthur Airport in Ronkonkoma, Southwest has cancelled all flights on Monday and US Airways has sporadic service after 7 p.m. on Monday, according to spokeswoman Catherine Green. Airport officials suggest that travelers call their carriers.


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