Dec 13, 2007 8:26 am US/Eastern
Eye On The Storm: Preparing For The Worst
NEW YORK (CBS) ―
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Stay with CBS 2 HD and WCBSTV.com for the latest on the storm.
CBS
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A heavy snow warning is in effect for some areas north of Long Island.
CBS
The Tri-State area braced for travel trouble Thursday, as the first major winter storm of the season approached on a day already considered ripe for gridlock because of holiday-season crowds.
New York City's salt trucks were loaded early Thursday, and rules requiring drivers to move parked cars were suspended for the day. Plow drivers are excited to get to work. "It means a lot of overtime," one driver told CBS 2 HD. The city says it is prepared with 255,000 tons of rock salt and calcium chloride for the snow. There are 365 salt spreaders ready to spring into action as well.
In northern suburbs expected to get as much as eight inches of snow,
dozens of schools were closed, and residents stocked up on shovels.
The New York City Sanitation Department put workers on 12-hour shifts to spread snow and plow streets. Commissioner John Doherty said he expected a lot of clearing would be done by the evening rush hour, but "it's probably going to be a little bit slow."
The Port Authority of New York & New Jersey -- which runs the region's major airports, along with several bridges and tunnels -- said it also was preparing to deploy extra workers and hundreds of snow-removal vehicles, including some that can work at 35 mph.
Some airlines, including Continental and Delta, were letting passengers reschedule for free if they were scheduled to travel to or from local airports Thursday or Friday.
The city also called off alternate side of the street parking regulations, which usually compel car owners to move their vehicles on certain days, depending on the location, to allow for street cleaning.
Mayor Michael Bloomberg found himself apologizing after the parking rules were upheld during a snowstorm in February, resulting in thousands of tickets on cars stuck in crusts of ice.
Communities in Rockland and Westchester counties also were gearing up for the weather.
"We prepare for every storm like it could be a blizzard," Rockland Highways Superintendent Charles "Skip" Vezzetti said.
To check the weather forecast in your area,
click here.Stay with wcbstv.com and CBS 2 HD for the latest weather and travel updates.
(© 2009 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
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