Supervisor Lifts State of Emergency in Riverhead

Riverhead Town Supervisor Sean Walter has lifted Saturday’s state of emergency, issued in light of the blizzard that pounded the area.

According to the National Weather Service, 16 inches of snow were reported in Calverton when all was said in done, with locally higher numbers reported due to drifting.

Walter said in an interview Sunday morning that Riverhead weathered the storm. “It’s a bright, sunny day, the highway department has most of the town cleaned up, there were no major casualties and no major flooding. There were no houses lost off the bluffs.”

The supervisor offered kudos to the men and women in the highway department and all the other town workers in the buildings and grounds department for “helping to dig us out.”

Accumulation varied dramatically, Walter said. In Wading River, at his home near the water, not even a foot of snow fell. But a mile and a half down the road, by his office, there was well over a foot. Riverhead Town Police Chief David Hegermiller reported between 12 and 18 inches, in various locations across town.

Flooding remains a concern, with the NWS issuing a coastal hazard message. According to the NWS office at Upton, minor coastal flooding impacts could be experienced this morning across northeastern Suffolk, including low-lying coastal areas adjacent to Peconic and Gardiners Bays and along the north shore.

Localized minor coastal flooding is expected Sunday morning with the high tide cycle between 8 a.m. and noon. Tides are expected to be 1.5 to 2 feet higher than normal. Brief flooding of the most vulnerable shore roads and properties could cause erosion, the NWS said.

The state of emergency in Riverhead was rescinded Sunday at 8 a.m.