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‘Snow’ problem for N.Y. Irish

February 16, 2011

By Staff Reporter

By Pierce O’Reilly

New York City sanitation crews worked overtime during the holiday weekend in an all-out effort to clear streets of snow as the city prepared to get back to business for another year Tuesday morning.

Residents of Irish neighborhoods in Queens and the Bronx continued to dig out after Saturday’s storm dumped a foot or more snow in the city and as much as two feet in the Hudson Valley. Many residents said they believe that if it stays cold, it could be another week before their areas are back to normal.

Snow drifts, meanwhile, remained piled on most street corners Tuesday morning, a full three days after the storm, with the shoveled snow accumulating long after the major streets were cleared by city plows.

A police department spokesperson said that though some minor accidents occurred in all five boroughs, the timing of the snowfall, over the holiday weekend, resulted in city departments having plenty of time to clear streets.

As residents continued to recover from the most severe storm in five years, many more were enjoying the winter wonderland that has decorated the landscape for the last few days. On Katonah Avenue in the Bronx, public parks were filled with sledders all weekend. And many bars and restaurants reported strong business among New Year’s revelers and those seeking escape from the severe weather.

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Irish people arriving back in New York after the holiday break, however, experience long delays at all three airports as airlines and trains struggled to accommodate travelers stranded by canceled schedules. By Monday, however, the Port Authority of New York reported few delays and only scattered cancelations. Continental Airlines, which is based at Newark Airport, said it canceled 425 flights, about a third of its schedule, in the immediate aftermath of the storm, but that all was back to normal on Tuesday. On Tuesday morning, all airlines were reporting a normal schedule, yet several rail lines were still reporting minor disruptions.

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