Town Of Islip Officials Urge Residents To Prepare For Storm

TOWN OF ISLIP, NY — As the winter storm is expected to hit Long Island Wednesday and Thursday, Town of Islip officials are urging local residents and business owners to prepare.

A winter storm warning is in effect from 2 p.m. Wednesday until 1 p.m. Thursday in the area with a total of 8-12 inches of snow likely. The lowest amounts of snow expected along the South Shore where snow is expected to mix with rain and sleet early Thursday. In addition, wind gusts are expected to reach up to 50 mph.

In preparation for the pending storm, Supervisor Angie Carpenter and Town Public Safety officials are advising restaurant owners to secure tents, outdoor dining tables, and chairs.

Homeowners should also secure outdoor furniture, barbecues, umbrellas, and anything else that could become a projectile. Cars, garbage cans, basketball hoops, and any other recreational objects should be removed from streets, so that plows can safely and effectively clear roadways.

In a press conference on Wednesday, officials also stated how the town has been preparing for the expected inclement weather since early Tuesday morning. Department of Public Works crews have been salting and brining primary and secondary roads, including fire department, ambulance facilities, LIRR and school parking lots. In addition, 500 pieces of equipment have been prepped and fueled, should they need to be deployed to plow the town’s 1,200 miles of roadway

"Our Office of Emergency Management is fully staffed. Park rangers will monitor flooding in low-lying areas and will be working around the clock with DPW, who has the support of Public Safety, DEC, Waste Management and Parks," Carpenter said. "All crews will be following CDC guidelines to keep themselves and the public safe."

To report downed trees, residents can call 631-224-5600. To report downed wires and power outages, residents can call PSEG LI at 800-490-0075. For the Suffolk County Non-Emergency Hotline, residents can call 311.