Snow was still piled as high as street signs on parts of eastern Long Island on Wednesday as residents continued to dig out from a deadly blizzard that dumped more than two feet of snow on the area.
Cars were fish-tailing on sloppy side roads while children pulled sleds through the streets in eastern Suffolk County, which was hit hardest. Schools are still closed in some towns, but most businesses have reopened.
Officials say snow has been removed from all county and state roads, but some side streets still need to be cleared. Huge snow piles are being moved to beaches and fields to help clear the roadways.
That includes a baseball diamond in Greenport, which has become a dumping ground for truckloads of snow after 30 inches fell there. Deputy Mayor George Hubbard said the snow had to go somewhere.
"If the roads are completely blocked, they'll walk in the roads and might get hit. It's a hazard," he said.
Salt spreaders, plows and trucks have been shipped to towns that needed extra assistance, said Justin Meyers, assistant deputy county executive for Suffolk County.
"The towns and villages are working diligently to get the snow completely removed," he said.
Suffolk County police reported two fatalities during the storm. One was a 17-year-old boy snow-tubing down a street with friends who crashed into a light pole and died. The other was an 83-year-old man with dementia who was found dead in his backyard.
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In Cotchugue, members of the all-volunteer fire department were working Wednesday to clear out fire hydrants encased by feet of snow.
Daniel Fullam of Happauge said his business has been busy repairing snow blowers.
The snow was so bad in Southampton the famous Golden Pear Cafe had to stay closed Wednesday, only their third time in 28 years.
Joe Santamaria, 48, an employee at a carpet store in Lake Grove, New York, said business was slower than normal because of the storm.
"It's been hard to travel. The conditions are difficult and it's been slow here," he said. "We had to close early on Monday because of the storm and then we were closed on Tuesday." He said the store's parking lot was plowed Tuesday afternoon.
Santamaria bought a commercial snow blower to clear his driveway at his home in Deer Park to get to work Wednesday.
"Fifteen to 20 minutes later, I was done," he said. "I moved two feet of snow."
-- Marc Santia contributed to this report.
