Environment

Touring Orient, which saw the region’s most snowfall

A lone dozer makes its way down Main Road in Orient, driving through one of many snow drift areas. (Credit: Carrie Miller)
A lone dozer makes its way down Main Road in Orient, driving through one of many snow drift areas. (Credit: Carrie Miller)

Of all the East End’s hamlets, it was Orient that got the most snow, according to spotters trained by the National Weather Service.

While not quite as official as the weather systems data sites in Upton and Islip, the two closest locations, the NWS does endorse trained spotter readings to better reflect varying impacts across large areas.

“Without question, a 30-inch snow storm is a remarkably rare event,” said weather service meteorologist Tim Morrin. “The low pressure area of the storm tracked a bit further east than expected. The further east you are the closest you were to the storm.”

Joseph Henry of Greenport said he worked to dig residents out for 10 hours on Tuesday, and was right back at it again Wednesday.

“This is one of the worst ones we’ve had in a while,” he said. “We got close to 30 inches in some spots, luckily it was a light snow which makes it easier to work.”

While he worked a snow blower, his son Joseph, 15, and employee Raymond Topping, 32, manned shovels, cleaning up what was left behind.

Down Main Road at Orient Beach State Park, Craig Owens of Greenport and Michael Bredemeyer of Orient could be seen starting to tackle snowed in walkways so patrons could gain access to the park.

“This was a big one,” Mr. Owens said. “I spent six hours shoveling my car out yesterday, and now we’re just getting started here. The wind is just blowing everything right back in. I just used the snow blower and you can hardly tell.”

By Wednesday morning, state Department of Transportation officials had cleared Main Road, with winds blowing in from the Sound continuing to coat small portions of the roadway in powder.

Not everyone was able to clear the walkways and driveways to and from their homes so quickly.

Hideaki Ariizumi, who has been living in Orient for almost two decades, could be seen snowshoeing from his Orient home with luggage in hand, helping to get his wife, Glynis Berry, to New Liberty International Airport in New Jersey.

Even after trudging through more than 100 feet from his home to his truck, he said he seemed to remember more burdening storms in the past.

“This isn’t the worse one,” he said, as the snow crunched beneath him.

Entering Orient
Entering Orient
Craig Owens of Greenport and Michael Bredemeyer of Orient  tackle snowed in walkways so patrons could gain access to the park.
Craig Owens of Greenport and Michael Bredemeyer of Orient tackle snowed in walkways so patrons could gain access to the park.
Birds playing on the ice in a Orient tributary of Main Road.
Birds playing on the ice in a Orient tributary of Main Road.
Joseph Henry of Greenport and his money maker, a John Deere snow blower.
Joseph Henry of Greenport and his money maker, a John Deere snow blower.
Joseph Henry, 15, and Raymond Topping, 32, cleaning up what was left behind.
Joseph Henry, 15, and Raymond Topping, 32, cleaning up what was left behind.

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