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Suffolk Highways, Roads Shut Down By Snow, Stranded Motorists

By on February 9, 2013

With snow accumulations reaching up to 30 inches in some areas across Long Island, the Town of Huntington officially shut down all roads Saturday afternoon and officials are advising residents across Long Island to stay at home.

“We have a bad series of events and they are compounding and aggravating one another,” said Governor Andrew Cuomo at an afternoon press conference.

Huntington was particularly hard hit with 29 inches of snow and town roadways are to be used for emergency traffic only to allow snow clearing crews to effectively clear the roadways.

“If this storm would have happened two hours later, the hundreds of people struggling to get home would have made it home,” said Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone. “Emergency vehicles were dispatched immediately but emergency vehicles at this time were getting stuck. Firetrucks were getting stuck…We’ve never seen anything like this.”

With many motorists stranded overnight, New York State Police shut down all parkways in Suffolk County as of 1 a.m.

This includes the following parkways: Southern State, Northern State, Sagtikos/Sunken Meadow, Robert Moses Causeway, and Ocean Parkway.

It is unknown at this time when roads will reopen. If travel is absolutely necessary, motorists will have to use other roadways.

“I know the sun is shining and the snow has stopped,” said Cuomo. “Please stay at home, we do not need you on the roads. It is dangerous to be on the roads today. It can be deceptive, just because it’s fine in front of your home doesn’t mean the roads are fine. They’re not.”

The National Weather Service has also warned of strong winds throughout Saturday.

“While the heavy snow has ended across the area, roads across the region remain either impassable or treacherous,” the Service says in an alert. “In addition, gusty northwest winds will produce blowing and drifting of the snow at times, limiting visibilities. Travel is not recommended and only if absolutely necessary.”

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Jaclyn Gallucci Jaclyn Gallucci (44 Posts)

Jaclyn Gallucci is a writer and managing editor at the Long Island Press. She is a Livingston award finalist who has written extensively about the environment and unsolved murders on Long Island.