State of Emergency Declared in Suffolk County

In response to the intense wind and snow hitting Long Island on Saturday, County Executive Steve Bellone declared a State of Emergency in Suffolk County at 8 a.m.

“I cannot stress this enough folks: stay off the roads and avoid all unnecessary travel,” Bellone said in a statement. “The Suffolk County Police Department has already received emergency calls for over seven car accidents. Not only will staying off the road allow the 100 County trucks already on the road to do their job, but it will ensure your safety.”

About 1 to 3 inches of snow per hour is expected to fall Saturday morning on Long Island, according to a special weather statement issued by the National Weather Service.

Travel is not recommended this morning (or really at any point today) due to whiteout conditions as the snow is blown around by northeast winds of 25-35 mph with gusts up to 50 mph, the special weather statement read.

Bellone reminded residents all Suffolk County Transit and SCAT bus routes are suspended for Saturday.

Suffolk County is also keeping a close watch on coastal communities due to the a strong possibility of coastal flooding, particularly on the South Shore. Coastal flood warnings have been issued for Nassau and western Suffolk.

Image via Suffolk County Executive Steven Bellone