Staten Island Streets Still Unplowed as Next Storm Approaches

Residents complain they're once again the "forgotten borough"

As New York City braces for another round of snow this week, Staten Island residents are still struggling to dig out from Monday's storm and say the absence of plows on their streets proves once again why they're living in the so-called forgotten borough.

The storm dumped up to 10 inches of snow on some parts of Staten Island, and Chopper 4 captured unplowed streets across the area Tuesday morning. Residents say the road conditions are treacherous.

"It's kind of deadly going down the hill," said Maryann Burgos of Annadale.  

"Every time it snows, we either never get plowed or it three takes days for a plow to come through, and it's becoming increasingly frustrating," said Richard Cisak of Annadale as he dug out his car.

He said it took more than 24 hours for a plow to make its way down Ludlow Street. 

"This is the forgotten street in the forgotten borough," he said. 

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Nicoletta Squeo, who's 79 years old, took matters into her own hands on MacArthur Avenue and tried to clear the snow on her own in case of an emergency. 

"I'm concerned about my driveway because more snow is coming," she said.

After receiving a number of complaints about Bard Avenue, Mayor de Blasio admitted the snow removal was not handled properly. 

"I think there are areas that need improvement, and certainly that one area on Staten Island, it was not well done, it has to be done better," he said.

But Cisak wasn't receptive to de Blasio's response. 

"This is a basic function of city government. You should have a handbook, open that handbook -- here is how we plow Staten Island, here is how we plow the city," he said. "I don't understand what there is to learn."

De Blasio faced similar criticism in the last storm, when unplowed streets on the Upper East Side led to major traffic delays. He admitted "more could have been done" in the cleanup and promised to learn from his mistakes

The snow arriving overnight could be even more dangerous for those trying to travel on the roads on Staten Island, and residents are worried the slushy mix could turn into ice if the streets aren't cleared before the flakes start falling. 

"I think this is worse than the last snow that we had," said Maryann Burgos of Annadale. "I am concerned about tomorrow." 

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