Authorities continue advising people to stay off the roads as a Nor'easter pummels the Northeast. Blizzard warnings remain in effect.
The winds are growing more intense as the snow continues to fall, making "Winter Storm Stella" one for the history books. Albany County Executive Dan McCoy echoes other officials in asking people to stay off the roads. "We plow about 700 miles of roads in the county. They've been out since 3:30 in the morning. We have 50 pieces of equipment out on the road. We're stayin' on top of it.
Albany Mayor Kathy Sheehan challenges residents to do their part. "If people plow their snow or snowblow their snow out to the street, it's just gonna get plowed right back across their driveway." sheehan adds Albany will be going into snow emergency mode, which will require residents move their cars to the even side of the street starting tomorrow night: "People need to stay off the roads as much as possible. It's going to continue to snow through tonight and we will begin to try to clear the snow at 8pm on Wednesday."
troy Mayor Patrick Madden's public service crews are holding steady: "We've got maybe 35 or 40 trucks out clearing the roads as best we can, trying to keep up with the snowstorm. We're asking people to stay off the roads to the degree that they can. We're also asking people to keep an eye out for their neighbors, particularly the elderly, make sure fire hydrants are shoveled out and sidewalks kept clear. If there's any way you can get your vehicle off the street we would appreciate that. That will help us plow a wide and clear path down the street. At this point we're just fighting to keep up with things and we'll keep the crew on round the clock until we get this under control."
Colonie police join law enforcement agencies across the region in requesting visitors and residents avoid parking in the streets.
Snow Emergencies have been declared in several municipalities. Utility companies so far have reported spotty outages. Nate Stone with National Grid says the watch is on as nightfall approaches. "We're more concerned with the wind than the snow right now."
The storm has closed businesses and schools, disrupted public transportation, and in many places has left more than a foot of snow in its wake.
