Northern Nassau takes brunt of nor’easter

The region's second nor'easter in less than a week got off to a slow start, then pummeled Long Island by early afternoon.

News 12 Staff

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Mar 7, 2018, 4:49 PM

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Updated 2,480 days ago

The region's second nor'easter in less than a week got off to a slow start, then pummeled Long Island by early afternoon.

The North Hempstead Highway Department said it was ready to roll as forecasters warned northwestern Nassau County would see the brunt of Wednesday's storm.

News 12 Long Island's Pat Dolan visited the area, where streets became a slushy, sloshy mess beneath wet, heavy snow and sleet.

North Hempstead Supervisor Judi Bosworth said the town's strategy was to make sure residents are safe and roads are clear. But some evening commuters braced for the worst, fearing long delays. Many of them left work early to avoid the evening rush and the worst of the weather.

Bosworth said trucks were ready early, and crews brined the streets before the storm. As soon as conditions were bad enough, road crews rolled out.

The town says dozens of workers clocked in around 5 a.m., and they had concerns about the timing of the storm. The longer it took for the storm to get going, the more tired responding crews would become.

"We're OK now," Joe Geraci, of the North Hempstead Highway Department said Wednesday afternoon. "But as the day wears on … and they're here into the night -- that's when they start getting tired."

Geraci said workers prepared by being well-rested before coming in to respond to powerful storms.

"Safety's No. 1," he said. "And we make sure that they get the breaks that they need during the shift that they're working."

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Editor's Note: An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated that Judi Bosworth was the Town of Hempstead supervisor. This has been corrected to North Hempstead supervisor.