New York City spared the worst from Northeast storm

  Eyewitnesss News

NEW YORK (WABC) -- New York City continues to clean up from the blizzard Monday, but the five boroughs were spared the worst of the storm that battered other parts of the Northeast.

The snow accumulation in Central Park was 11.4 inches and 12.1 at LaGuardia Airport.

Meteorologist David Stark said the city got more sleet rather than snow, which suppressed the snowfall totals.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg had prepared residents for the storm with all hands on deck: More than 2,200 vehicles plowed and salted streets overnight, clearing every major thoroughfare at least once, and even most secondary streets.

Traffic flowed easily.

"We're in great shape. We're lucky," Bloomberg told plow workers at a sanitation garage in Queens. "We've dodged a bullet."

"It's not that bad," said carpenter Kevin Byrne, as he dug his car out of its Manhattan parking spot. "It's not as bad as everybody said it was going to be."

Communities in the outer boroughs still suffering from the aftermath of last October's superstorm were mostly spared this time.

In Staten Island's Midland Beach, frigid gusts blew in from the water, but those who have moved back in to their houses said the wind wasn't as bad as feared even at the height of the storm. "Not like during Sandy, when the roof was flying away," said Dmitriy Pilguy.

He chuckled a bit at the pre-storm hype. "It's only snow," Pilguy said as he cleared his driveway. "I'm from Russia. I don't care."

Bloomberg said police checked on families from Superstorm Sandy who still have no heat, but no problems were reported.

Some winter fun started after plows cleared main roads and airports were reopened.

Smiling New Yorkers and their children emerged in droves to enjoy the kinds of activities the city rarely sees: skiing, sledding and building snowmen.

From Central Park to Times Square, some were making snow angels while the white stuff stayed almost a foot deep and clean, for a few hours before the salt and urban dirt set in.

New York Fashion Week, one of the most important dates in the industry, got off to a start even as the snow swirled around Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts where the show tents are set up.

Designer Prabal Gurung joked backstage that he'd only be judging his audience from the waist up. He said snow boots were the right choice for slush, but many of his models turned up in heels anyway. Others favored combat boots.

New York City residents can track the progress of salt spreading and snow removal in their neighborhoods with PlowNYC, by entering their address into a field on New York City's Plow Tracker.

All winter weather information and information about the City's response to the storm can be found by visiting the City's Severe Weather Website at NYC.gov/SevereWeather or by calling 311. New Yorkers are also encouraged to sign up for the Notify NYC, the City's free emergency notification system. Through Notify NYC, New Yorkers can sign up for receive phone calls, text messages, and emails alerts about severe weather events and emergencies. To sign up for Notify NYC, call 311, visit NYC.gov, or follow @NotifyNYC on Twitter.

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