Five Towns residents not happy with Hempstead's plowing performance

Several Inwood residents on multiple Facebook groups posted complaints on the lack of plowing by the Town of Hempstead as a major snowstorm struck the Five Towns and the New York metropolitan area on Feb. 1 and Feb. 2.

More than 10 inches of snow was reported to have fallen in and around the Five Towns as a nor’easter swept across Long Island last week that included lingering snowfall, rain and gusty winds.

Allen Street, Bayswater Boulevard, Cedar Road and Wahl Avenue were but a few of the streets noted by upset residents who also complained about the town’s performance during the December snowstorm.

Residents in Hewlett and Woodmere were not happy either. Matthew Russo went outside to find his car plowed in. 
“Somebody plowed all the snow into my car,” Russo posted. “Are you kidding me?"

Inwood resident Marisa Miscella posted about the conditions in Inwood on Feb. 1. “Walcott Ave. is horrible and the walk to Benjamin Optical on Burnside was grueling,” she wrote. “None of the side streets were plowed and the businesses on Burnside hadn't shoveled so I was walking on Burnside with cars whizzing by. When it rains we’ll be plowed.”

Joey Saninosencio of Inwood was more understanding of the circumstances the town’s highway department faced with the storm. “Long Island was under a state of emergency and this was definitely not a storm that was easy to keep on top of,” he said. “While I understand the frustration, we must understand the circumstances.”

Councilman Bruce Blakeman, whose district includes Inwood, said that the highway department trucks all have GPS so they can monitor every street and how many times it has been plowed. 

“With a storm where it snowed for I think 36 hours straight, the truck will come and plow a street,” he added. “Then a few hours later it looked like we didn't plow a road at all. This was an epic storm.”

Blakeman previously told the Herald on Feb. 2 that he expected the roads to be cleared by 7 p.m. that night. He believes that the highway department did a good job in clearing the roads by that time.

“I appreciate that our town highway department was out during all hours of the night while dealing with snow and 50 mph wind gusts,” he said. “They did their best under the circumstances of this storm.”

For future storms, Blakeman noted that cars should not be parked on the street when plows roll through “We tell the residents that if you park on the street during a snowstorm you’re going to get plowed in,” he said. “We apologize about that but it is unavoidable. Residents should do what they can to get their cars off the road during a snow emergency.”

Blakeman emphasized the need to have patience with storms like this in the future. “I understand that people felt that they should have their roads plow sooner,” he said. “It was a horrific storm and we all have to be patient. Our highway crews were out in terrible conditions.”