At the tail end of this year’s February break, Long Island was just struck with the worst blizzard since 2016. Towns like Westhampton, East Quogue and East Moriches got over 25 inches in some areas. Sunday night was the worst, with most of the snow dropping from around 12 AM to 7 AM.
Schools were closed on Long Island on Monday and Tuesday, February 23-24, with Monday being declared a State of Emergency by Governor Hochul. The roads were slick, with 50-60 mph winds and whiteout conditions. Because of this, a Suffolk County driving ban took affect for most of the day on Monday. Driving was permitted only for emergency situations.
On Wednesday, school opened on a 2-hour delay schedule, with snow falling throughout the morning, making for a treacherous commute.
The clean up after the storm was time consuming due to the amount of heavy snow that fell. Sophomore Vin LaGatta said, “It wasn’t too hard. It took a long time though.”
Art teacher Mr. Erickson felt the heavy snow was difficult to shovel. He said, “It took a long time to dig myself out, and I have shoulder pain which makes it even harder.”
Some are concerned about losing days from spring break or Memorial Day weekend due to the use of snow days. However, as of now the school is still meeting the attendance requirements and will not lose a day. A remote learning plan has been put into place in case of more snow days in the future.
