Blizzard of ‘09 blankets Island

Nicholas Morehead and Seth Green blow snow in tandem Sunday to clear a South Ferry deck after a winter storm dumped two feet of snow on Shelter Island Saturday night.

“This might be a record breaker for one storm, HighwaySuperintendent Mark Ketcham said as he surveyed the Town of ShelterIsland’s snow-lined roads on Monday morning, taking the Reporteralong for the ride.
Snow was still blowing from drifts onto the roadways a day after aslow-moving winter storm system spun out into the Atlantic afterdumping over 2 feet of snow on the region. It arrived later thanpredicted Saturday night – snow fell elsewhere on Long Island thatafternoon but Shelter Island seemed to be in a precipitation-freepocket until well after dark. But when it came, boy, did itcome.
The National Weather Service has declared the weekend’s snow stormthe biggest of all time for Long Island, with measurements topping26 inches at the agency’s regional offices in Upton, the highesttotal for a single storm since official record keeping started in1949.
“Mother Nature, she sure threw us a curve ball, Mr. Ketchamsaid.
Snow fell at rates as high as 2 to 3 inches per hour. Town plowswere out all night Saturday through late Sunday morning, keepingprimary roads open, and that’s why Shelter Island was the only EastEnd town not to declare a state of emergency, Mr. Ketcham said.Riverhead, Southold, East Hampton and Southampton issueddeclarations on Sunday, warning residents to stay off theroads.
Town Supervisor Jim Dougherty conferred with Mr. Ketcham and PoliceChief James Read and “we unanimously agreed that no circumstancesnecessitated a state of emergency, Mr. Dougherty confirmed during aphone interview Monday. He credited chance, a quiet Sunday and theefforts of both town employees and private citizens to help eachother during and after the storm.
“The guys did an excellent job, Mr. Ketcham said of the highwayemployees. The town’s small, tight crew is willing to work overtimeto keep the roads open, Mr. Ketcham said. Other towns, with recentlayoffs, are struggling with that, he commented.
By 2:30 p.m., on Sunday all of the secondary roads were plowed.”Everything was open, the Highway Superintendent said.
Just the same, residents stayed home. “I have to commend the publicfor giving us a chance to do our job, Mr. Ketcham commented.
That also kept accidents to a minimum, according to the ShelterIsland Police Department reports.
Fallout from the storm included Saturday’s Christmas Concert at thePresbyterian Church, which was postponed to Monday night. Somechurches cancelled services Sunday morning. Island kids celebrateda snow day at the Shelter Island School Monday; the Shelter IslandLibrary was closed as well.
The Island’s two ferry companies kept operations on schedule.”Conditions were brutal, especially for the last boat crew onSaturday night/Sunday morning, South Ferry’s Cliff Clark told theReporter. They faced steady winds in the 30- to 40-knot range withgusts up around 50 and white-out snow at times.
“Our crews came in early to remove snow and be ready for our firsttrip on Sunday, North Ferry General Manager Bridg Hunt reported. Aferry deck creates a big catchment area for snow. At South Ferry,the night crews shoveled until 2:45 a.m. and then six men came inby 5 a.m. to be ready on time for the first departure at 5:40 a.m.They were successful and Sue Warner, a regular on the first boatfrom North Haven, got Fedi’s open on time Sunday morning, Mr. Clarkadded.
“It’s going to be a mess for a couple of days, Mr. Ketchamcautioned. Sidewalks have yet to be cleared and the HighwayDepartment still has its work cut out. Drifts at some intersectionswill be carted off to increase traffic visibility, town landingswill be opened to allow for Fire Department pumper truck access inan emergency, and more sand will be laid, Mr. Ketcham said. Blowingsnow keeps covering over initial sanding. Sand is available toresidents who need a bucket or two from the Highway Department’sBowditch Road facility.
The total cost of the storm to the town is not yet known. The townhas budgeted $35,000 for snow removal personnel costs in 2010 and,prior to the storm, over $11,000 remained for 2009 snowremoval.
Mr. Ketcham noted one bright side to the storm. “It gives a lot ofpeople – from Highway Department employees to private plow drivers- “a little Christmas bonus.