Brooklynites are still digging out after a storm inundated the borough with more than two feet of snow on parts of the New York City region this weekend.
As of 11:59 pm on Jan. 29, snow totals from Winter Storm Kenan ranged from 9.5 inches in Central Brooklyn neighborhoods like Crown Heights to more than 11 inches in southern Brooklyn neighborhoods like Bay Ridge and Sheepshead Bay, according to the National Weather Service. Bayside, Queens saw some of the most snow, with more than 13 inches as of late Saturday.
The steps of Our Lady of Victory Church in Bed-Stuy show how much snow accumulated during the storm.Photo by Caroline Ourso
The furious “bomb cyclone,” as it was referred to by meteorologists ahead of its arrival in the Northeast, stretched from the Carolinas to Maine and forced many New Yorkers inside ahead of and during its touchdown early Saturday.
The city’s Emergency Management office advised all New Yorkers to stay at home — or to use trains and buses if they must go out.
Still, the Five Boroughs soldiered on, with surprisingly limited interruptions to the New York City subway system, and seemingly fast-paced Sanitation services, which Mayor Eric Adams lauded over the weekend for “getting stuff done.”
During the first blizzard of his tenure, the former Beep made good on a promise to the New York Post to shovel outside of his own Brooklyn home. And for kiddos who didn’t have to worry about whether or not they had the day off from school, city parks turned into Mount Everest for brave Brooklynites looking to hit the slopes.
Of course, there were some utility outages, perhaps due to the storm’s high wind surges. Since Jan. 29, Con Edison has restored power to 907 customers who were without during the nor’easter, according to spokesperson Allan Drury.
As of noon Monday, the energy behemoth was working to restore power to an additional 169 customers whose services were knocked out as a result of Kenan. Though there is a light at the end of the tunnel, Drury warned New Yorkers to stay vigilant in the days ahead.
“We expected scattered outages from the weekend storm but our crews did a great job of getting customers back in service quickly and efficiently. Now that the overhead storm has passed, the melting snow and salt washing into our underground electric delivery system poses a threat,” he told Brooklyn Paper in a statement. “It can result in smoking manholes and outages to customers who are served by the underground system. We are ready to restore customers to anyone who is affected.”
“Most of all, we urge customers to be safe,” Drury continued. “Members of the public may encounter downed lines. Stay away from those wires, as they may be live. If you see downed wires, call 1-800-75-CONED or your local police department.”
The New York City Fire Department is also urging locals to ensure clear paths to hydrants to help prevent tragedy.
NYC homeowners and business owners – As a result of the recent snowfall, prepare to shovel a path to hydrants so they are visible to FDNY in case of emergency. See more #FDNYSmart tips at https://t.co/NpwdRdlElY pic.twitter.com/FLp1gJWhaR
— FDNY (@FDNY) January 31, 2022
