After the blizzard: burst pipes, gas leaks and really big piles of snow

The arctic temperatures that settled on the region this weekend had local firefighters scrambling to respond to water flow and gas leak alarms.

“We had 14 calls yesterday and I think all or almost all were burst pipes or gas leaks due to weather,” Riverhead Fire Chief Kevin Brooks said this morning — and that was just before RFD responded to two additional calls for burst pipes this morning.

Volunteer firefighters yesterday responded to a continuous string of calls, and in some cases two or more simultaneously.

“So much for Sunday football,” Brooks joked.

The gas leak alarms are usually caused by vents being blocked by ice and snow, he said.

Brooks said most of the burst pipe alarms occur at commercial facilities, which are probably affected more because the rooms that house the larger-size fire-suppressant systems are not necessarily heated. Another reason might be that the piping runs where it’s not heated, in soffits or near the ceilings, and that could also cause the freezing. Among the commercial facilities with alarms this weekend were Toys R Us, TGI Friday’s, Baiting Hollow Golf Club, Office Max, Forever 21 at Tanger Outlets and McGann-Mercy High School.

As temperatures rise this week, “the issue with busted pipes has only just begun,” Brooks said. “The alarms don’t usually come in until the pipes begin the thaw and water starts flowing.”

Pipes at the Crohan Center in Flanders were frozen solid today, forcing the Town of Southampton to cancel all scheduled activities there today, including tonight’s Riverside Economic Development Committee meeting and the Flanders, Riverside, Northampton Community Association monthly meeting.

‘Believe it or not, the snow is our friend’

Riverhead Water District has fared well so far, Superintendent Mark Conklin said.

“We had a water main break on Jackson Street Thursday morning, at the height of the storm,” Conklin said. The district had to cut off water service to several customers, who were supplied with bottled water, until crews could make repairs, which were completed Friday morning, he said.

There were about a dozen meter vault freeze-ups and some fire suppression system freeze-ups, Conklin said, including one at around 1 a.m. on Burman Boulevard in the Calverton Enterprise Park.

“With temperatures like we had this weekend, believe it or not, the snow is our friend,” Conklin said. “It acts as insulation for the pipes.”

Woodson: Storm in ‘the top three worst’ he’s seen

Now that roads are opened, town highway crews are concentrating on cleaning up intersections and pushing back snow to widen travel lanes, Highway Superintendent George Woodson said. Once that’s done, crews will begin removing snow from sidewalks and gutters the business districts downtown and in Polish Town.

Town highway crews got some much-needed rest yesterday, after working more than 40 hours straight, Woodson said. “Plowing is fun for about the first eight hours,” he said. “After that, it gets rough,” he said.

“In my 35 years of doing this, I’d say this storm — with the snow amounts, winds and duration — was in the top three worst ones I’ve ever dealt with,” Woodson said.

“My crews did a great job.”

Riverhead saw 11 to 14 inches of snow across town Thursday, with some locally higher amounts. Strong northwest winds, gusting to more than 60 miles an hour, caused roads in the northern section of town to drift over repeatedly. Dozens of motorists were stranded as a result, both during the storm Thursday and on Friday, as the winds continued to sweep snow from open fields onto adjacent roadways. Highway crews pulled at least 60 vehicles out of drifts and police towed another 29 out, according to officials. Police impounded six stuck vehicles abandoned by their operators.

Once the storm pulled out, an arctic mass settled over the region, plunging temperatures into the low single digits, with wind chill values ranging more than 10 below zero.

Supervisor Laura Jens-Smith said code enforcement officers were out beginning this weekend visiting commercial properties on Route 58 to warn them of their obligation to clear snow and ice from sidewalks and issue tickets.

“Going forward they will be ticketed and fined,” Jens-Smith said. “It’s a priority during a snowstorm. If they are able to open their doors and they want customers to come there, that means clearing in front of their businesses,” the supervisor said.

Winter weather advisory issued for this evening

Today’s warmer temperatures will mean another system moving into the area this afternoon will bring a wintry mix of freezing rain, sleet and snow this afternoon into this evening. Little accumulation is expected but travel may be difficult, the National Weather Service said in a statement. A winter weather advisory is in effect until 7 p.m.