Weekend storm preparations underway in Orange County, N.Y.
HARRIMAN, N.Y. - The highest snow totals from this weekend's storm are expected to be north and west of New York City.
In Orange County, officials are cautiously confident they'll be able to handle whatever the storm brings.
They're gassing up trucks, loading up salt and prepping the plows. The Orange County DPW has more than 500 lane miles of road to keep clear.
County Executive Steve Neuhaus says they're ready to roll.
"Our biggest concern is getting overwhelmed with over an inch an hour. So having it on Saturday into Sunday morning, I think it's going to be good for the first storm of the year," Neuhaus said.
Electronic message boards on Route 17 are already warning drivers about the weekend weather.
DPW has called an all-hands-on-deck, starting midday Saturday.
"We typically let it snow a little before we put anything down on the road. Get a little moisture down, salt sticks to the road, makes its own brine. Then we'll start plowing after that, get some additional salt on the road as necessary as we go," DPW Commissioner Erik Denega said.
In White Plains, they're already pretreating roads with brine. City crews have 150 lane miles of road to maintain.
Metro-North Railroad says it's ready with equipment and manpower to clear stations and tracks.
"The way to keep the tracks clean is to keep the trains running. We're not planning on canceling any service at this point in time. But it is possible we'll experience delays at the height of the storm," Metro-North President Catherine Rinaldi said.
Back in Orange County, the ShopRite in Chester was selling supplies to melt snow, and warm homes. Local residents showed little anxiety about the winter weather.
"I got a snowblower hooked up, already been started. All ready to rock and roll," Warwick resident Arthur Canevari said.
"We get heavy snows and we know just to buckle down for the day. The kids enjoy playing out in the snow and the next day, back to usual," Chester resident Robin Milburn said.
Customer were stocking up on bread, milk, and eggs.
"My granddaughter's coming. So, chicken nuggets, ice cream, mac and cheese," Chester resident Jaynee Polokoff said.
"I like to make soups and stews when it's cold, that's what I usually make," Milburn said.
"I'm going to be home and cozy in my house," Judy Schmidt said.
That's just what Neuhaus wants to hear.
"It's at a perfect time, it's the weekend. So everyone can just stay home, let our guys do their job," Neuhaus said.
"We're gonna have 60 employees just on the highways, another 30 with buildings and ground crews. Thirty five trucks, usually," Denega said.
Certainly by Monday, whether Orange gets four inches or a foot of snow, the DPW goal is to have everything cleared for a smooth commute.
