Blizzard blankets Seaford

After a relatively calm winter, Mother Nature unveiled her wrath on Monday and Tuesday, dumping significant snowfall on the region. The blizzard closed schools, shut down roads and sent residents scurrying to stores to buy salt, shovels, food and water.

Snowfall greeted residents on Monday morning, and the day for most carried on as normal, as Seaford schools let out at regular time, though after-school activities were canceled. By the time the storm was in full force by that night, children everywhere on Long Island were already assured of a snow day for the following day.

The conditions may have been treacherous, but most people were in good spirits, such as Justine LaVolpe, of Seaford. Before the storm hit, she went to the supermarket to stock up on food and water, as well as cookie dough and cupcake mix. Since she works in the school district, she also had off, and planned to spend the day baking with her daughters, Angelina, 9, and Gia, 7. “I was excited to know we’d all be home,” she said.

LaVolpe said she was a little nervous about the blizzard, mostly because of the possibility of losing power with the high winds. At the same time, she was looking forward to the first major snowstorm of the season.

Donna Irwin said she went out shopping a few days before the storm, and got gas for the cars and the snowblower before the lines got long. “I was ahead of the curve on that one so it was nice I was able to avoid that mad rush,” she said. “We didn’t go to crazy. We did get our eggs and milk.”

Irwin planned to put the snowblower to good use to clear out her house and help out elderly neighbors. Her son, James, 17, also was looking to make a little money by helping to shovel people out. The storm did cause a couple of the Seaford High School senior’s midterms to be postponed. Tests were also delayed at MacArthur High in Levittown.

As for Irwin’s daughter, 7-year-old Olivia, the plan was to go sledding at Cedar Creek Park and ice skating at Newbridge Arena. Of course, they had to wait for the roads to be cleared first. A driving ban ordered by Gov. Andrew Cuomo was lifted Tuesday morning, but drivers were asked to stay off the roads unless travel was absolutely necessary.