Storm leaves foot of snow in Oceanside, Island Park

Sixteen hours after the storm began, there were reports in Oceanside and Island Park that it had ended, streets had been plowed and residents were beginning to dig out from nearly a foot of snow that fell Thursday night and Friday morning.

“The streets have been plowed, but not much is moving,” attorney Anthony Iovino, who lives on the border between Rockville Centre and Oceanside, told the Herald late Friday morning. “I can see Sunrise Highway and it's moving, with just drifting snow covering the blacktop.”

Iovino, who runs the summer gazebo reading programs at School House Green, said that with schools, libraries closed and many businesses closed as well, there is little reason to be on the roads.

Officials in both Oceanside and Island Park said that all major roads had been plowed several times, and that crews were working on side streets. There were no major emergencies requiring response by fire departments or police, but forces were mobilized during the storm to ensure public safety.

“We had everybody on standby during the storm,” said Anthony D’Esposito, chief of the Island Park Fire Department. “There were no alarms and no power lines down. We did a sweep of the community this morning, and everything was holding up. We had some minor flooding in some of our low-lying areas, but nobody had to be evacuated.”

The Long Island Rail Road was running on a holiday schedule, and most trains were on time, officials said. Buses and other surface transportation remained delayed.