As upwards of a foot of snow fell in New York City white is the new black for the start of fashion week. Designers who have shows scheduled for this weekend are considering live streaming their collections for the editors and retailers who are unable to attend due to bad weather. Currently, conditions in NYC are cold and slippery and Coastal Flood Advisory is now in effect until noon EST today. There are also flood advisories for the following areas:
* locations… the southern bays of Brooklyn and Queens.
* Tidal departures… 1 to 2 ft above astronomical tides.
* Beach erosion… moderate beach erosion is expected along the
ocean facing beaches of the Rockaways through this morning.
Impacts… flooding of the most vulnerable shore roads and/or
basements due to height of storm tide or wave splashover.
Majority of roads remain passable with only isolated closures.
There is no significant threat to life.
Meanwhile the MTA is announcing: All Metro-North Railroad Harlem, Hudson and New Haven Line service is suspended until further notice due to the severity of the storm hitting our region.
Long Island Railroad has suspended service East of Huntington on the Port Jefferson Branch due to snow accumulation and weather related switching problems.
The decision to halt service was due to the significant increase in snowfall and high winds, and the risk of a train becoming disabled with customers on board.
Subway trains have been stored underground along express tracks around the system to prevent trains from being blocked in yards by drifting snow. Bus service is operating but there are several weather related diversions and detours. Other curtailments or suspensions in service remain a strong possibility to ensure customer safety and to protect equipment.
Paratransit has suspended sedan service, only vans equipped with chains will be in service. Customers are being contacted in advance of pick-up to ensure the trips are still desired.
The MTA regional transportation network has assumed an aggressive storm-fighting posture in response to the storm and the possibility of snow accumulation of a foot or more. Crews are on stand by, snow fighting equipment has been prepped and is ready to be deployed to clear tracks of ice and snow.
While the subway portions of the system remain relatively unaffected during snowstorms, there are nearly 220 miles of outdoor track throughout the boroughs and NYC Transit has heavy-duty snow fighting equipment deployed to vulnerable route portions, such as the Sea Beach N , Brighton Beach B and Q and the Dyre Avenue 5 Lines. Elevated lines do not have the problem of snow build up as the flakes fall between the ties, but platforms and staircases still must be kept clear of snow and salted to melt ice, and it takes a small army of employees to perform this task.
The Department of Buses has its own fleet of snow fighting equipment, including the plow-equipped, salt-spreading trucks assigned to each depot. They work in cooperation with the Department of Sanitation to keep heavily traveled bus routes clear and passable. Also, during heavy snowstorms, the Department of Sanitation assigns a supervisor to the Bus Command Center as a liaison.
The Department of Buses deploys additional personnel to help keep bus stops clear of ice and snow and manpower and equipment are strategically placed to respond to any problems buses may encounter on the road. Some bus models are equipped with chains and special attention is paid to hilly routes which could pose problems.
