Southold Town Gears Up for What Looks Like 'Substantial Weather Event': Supervisor

As residents hurry out to buy the bread and milk and rev up the snow blowers, officials on the North Fork are bracing for Saturday’s first blast of Old Man Winter.

According to Jay Engle, meteorologist with the National Weather Service Office in Upton, the snowfall totals on the East End depend on location.

The North Fork, he said, is expected to see six to eight inches, beginning Saturday morning just before daybreak.

Riverhead, meanwhile, could see between eight and 12 inches, while the western South Fork could see six to eight, and the eastern areas near Montauk hit the least, with between four and six inches, Engle said.

A blizzard watch is in effect for the entire area, with a “50 percent confidence” the the East End could see sustained winds of 25 to 25 miles per hour, with gusts of up to 50 miles per hour presenting potential hazards, Engle said.

Southold Town officials are busy gearing up. Southold Town Supervisor Scott Russell said the town’s emergency management office is ready for action, ensuring all the town’s departments and other government agencies are “working together to respond to what looks like a substantial weather event.”

The supervisor urged residents to periodically check the town’s website or Channel 22 for regular updates and notices.

Southold Town Highway Superintendent Vincent Orlando said the town is ready to face the coming snowfall. “Same drill, different storm,” he said.

The town, he said, has replenished its stock of sand, salt and fuel this week, and has also hooked up all plows and sanders to ensure all are working well. In addition, Orlando said work has been done to clear drains. “So when the snow melts, it has someplace to go,” he said.

Greenport Village Mayor George Hubbard said the village is stocked up on sand and salt, with piles all set up; trucks are ready and machines in strategic places, such as the sewer treatment plant, for plowing, he said.

Hubbard has been in touch with a foreman at the highway barn and Village Adminstrator Paul Pallas to go over plants. “Our fuel tanks are full, we have sand, salt and snow blowers ready. Now we just have to see how good or bad it ends up being,” he said.

Elizabeth Flagler, media relations specialist for PSEG Long Island, said the focus was on monitoring the storm, performing system checks on critical transmission and distribution equipment and performing logistics checks to ensure the availability of critical materials, fuel, and other supplies.

“We will have personnel on hand to deal with any weather-related outages,” she said. “Contractors, including tree crews, will be available to assist the utility’s own skilled workforce, if necessary.”

While snow usually isn’t an issue for utilities, the possibility of heavy wet snow and high winds can increase the likelihood of downed wires and resulting power outages, she said, adding that vehicles striking utility poles can also cause wires to come down.

To report downed wires or power outages, customers should call PSEG Long Island’s Electric Service line at 1-800-490-0075.

Patch file photo.