Planning for the blizzard: Town, ferry and first responder officials meet and map strategies

Late Friday afternoon, as Shelter Island waited for a blizzard due on Sunday, the IGA parking lot was nearly full with Islanders in the store stocking up. Roadside stacks of fire wood were doing brisk sales, and pickups with snow plows were cruising Island roads like athletes warming up for the big game.

At Shelter Island Police headquarters, Chief Jim Read convened a meeting of Town officials; representatives from the Highway, Fire and Emergency Medical Services departments; the School, Senior Services, the ferries and the Heights Corporation, to go over plans for the storm.

Chief Read, as the Emergency Management Coordinator for the Town, opened the meeting with a review of the weather forecast, which on Friday predicted bitter cold with wind chills  of 5 degrees below zero at certain times during the weekend.  The chief pointed out that the low temperatures and wind chill could cause frostbite and hypothermia to exposed skin if precautions are not taken.

 Heavy snow is expected with accumulations of 8 to 14 inches. The National Weather Service issued three advisories for the region, including a winter storm watch, warning of hazardous travel conditions, potential power outages and near-whiteout conditions.

Snow is expected to develop early Sunday morning and become moderate to heavy by Sunday afternoon. The heaviest snowfall is forecast for Sunday night into Monday morning.

Supervisor Amber Brach-Williams, who was at the meeting with Town Clerk Shelby Mundy, said she would be in her office at Town hall on Sunday. The supervisor issued a Winter Storm Emergency for Shelter Island not long after the meeting wrapped up. 

Chief Read said that with any winter storm, he had two main concerns: wind and ice. Both occurrences, rather than heavy snow, can cause widespread power outages that, in a worst case, could black out the Island for an extended period.  

But with one concern he had received good news. PSEG had reports that the wind would not be as bad as had been expected, with gusts of up to 25 mph, which the power company said is not as severe a threat to power lines as stronger winds.

As for ice bringing down tree limbs and powerlines, that was a case for hoping for the best but being ready for the worst. As usual with other storms, PSEG crews will be on the Island before the storm hits and stay for the duration. Chief Read said a place has been identified for the crews to rest, but they mainly prefer to sleep in their trucks, which will be parked at the Highway Department.  

Emergency Medical Services Chief Mark Kanarvogel reported that, as in other blizzards, if ambulances are on a call, they are accompanied by police vehicles and all hands shovel out driveways to reach those in medical emergencies. The EMS also has two four-wheel drive ambulances, and the Fire Department will be on call with its heavy duty vehicles, said Fire Department Chief Max Pelletier, to assist the EMS if necessary.

The ferries will be running throughout the storm, said South Ferry Director of Operations Briton Clark and North Ferry Manager John Michalak. South Fery CEO Cliff Clark also attended the meeting.  As always, no matter the time, ferries will be ready for EMS transportation of patients to Greenport or Southampton. Mr. Michalak said one ferry boat will be out of service on Sunday, but that should not adversely affect service from Greenport to the Island.

The Highway Department is fully prepared for what Mother Nature has in store for the Island, said Department Foreman Brett Page at the meeting, and Superintendent Ken Lewis, who attended via conference call. “We’ll be out,” Mr. Page said, “trying to keep everything open, out every couple of hours. If it’s bad the crews will concentrate on the main roads. We’re ready with salt and trucks.” He noted that the department had a truck ready for any trees that come down to clear them away quickly.

The need for shelters is remote, Chief Read said, but the Town is prepared. If power is out from four to six hours, people can shelter at home. After that, there might be a need to get people into warmth and provide food, especially for the frail elderly. The Town has designated the Senior Center as the first such shelter, which can care for 50 people, said Senor Services Director Kelly Brochu.

Ms. Brochu said she will have a staff of eight on hand and has plenty of water and food. The Center has contacted people on their “emergency list” to make them aware of the coming storm and will stay in touch with them. Home delivery of food will be made for Monday and Tuesday, Ms. Brochu said, and she’d been in touch with the IGA, which will be open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Sunday.

If a larger shelter is needed, the school will be used. Mike Dunning, who oversees building maintenance and repairs as well as coordinating major projects, told the meeting he had done a check with Superintendent Brian Doelger and Police Sergeant Anthony Rando and the facility is ready, with the generator set to go and enough food for 10 to 15 days. Fire Chief Pelletier said the Center Firehouse will also be stocked with food in case of emergencies.

Heights Property Owners Corporation General Manager Stella Lagudis said she had notified residents not to park on the streets to make plowing more efficient. The Heights has its own Highway Department and Ms. Lagudis said all was ready for the blizzard.