Look, I know you don't want to hear about the incoming weather, anymore. Spring has sprung and all of that, and you wanna be done with the snow. You'd probably rather save yourself the click on this Accuweather link explaining it all more scientifically than your local blog-writer ever could, right?
Let's just get down to brass tacks:
In case you're wondering: Yes, Long Island is in that 12-18 inch band that'll hit us by Wednesday night. That's significantly more snow than we got with regards to the previous two storms, most of which had melted off of our sidewalks by the end of the day. It's being called Nor'Easter 4, but as one Twitter user, Robbie, explained:
#Noreaster4 ??? Everyone realizes #Foureaster is dangling right in front of them as the much better hashtag???— robbįe? (@rj_batch) March 20, 2018
Basically put another way by Mary Flaherty, whose name is quite alliterative by the way:
Yesterday, I was supposed to only be getting 1-3 inches of snow. Now I'm getting 1-3 inches PER HOUR. #Noreaster4— Mary Flaherty (@Nightinghawk) March 20, 2018
So, you know the drill. Now for me to re-post some common winter safety tips:
- Try to stock up on anything you need before the snow gets heavy. It goes without saying that if you can't drive safely, if you can't move well, then you are at risk of getting injured while walking around, or crashing your car if you risk driving. I know it's kind of an old motif, but get your "bread and milk" now.
- Keep your pets and beloved animals inside!!! They won't be able to move through two feet of snow any better than you will, and if the temperature is cold out, they can get sick or even freeze to death. Have some compassion. If you can, put out a large styrofoam box/cooler/something, stuffed with a spare blanket or two, for local stray cats/animals to take shelter in; in these days, compassion is a must. If you've got some spare pet food, put that out - staying warm burns calories.
- Help your neighbors clear the snow from their sidewalks if you can. If possible - and I mean unless you absolutely cannot - clear out a 3-feet circle around your nearby fire hydrants. (via TJ Johnson.) Make sure to dress warmly, wear sturdy and stable boots, and take your time shoveling!
- If the power goes out, be careful with candles! Nobody needs a fire!
- Keep a cell phone handy; a battery-powered radio is a good idea, too. If you need to report a non-life-threatening emergency, call the Nassau County line at 1-888-684-4274. For medical emergencies ONLY, use 911.
- Get your car off the road! Park your cars in your driveway, if you can. (Via FFD member Robert Volpe).
- Try to have cash available! In the event that there is no electricity to run credit cards or operate ATMs, you'll want to have money around if you need to pay for anything.
Jesse Pohlman is the editor/producer/whatever of The Weekly Freeporter, which is in Retirement Mode and mainly only covers issues that effect all of Nassau County/Long Island. If you're a science-fiction/fantasy fan, he also writes those kind of novels, available through Amazon.
