NEW BRIGHTON, Staten Island (WABC) — Even with warmer temperatures and the return of spring, memories of a brutal winter blizzard are still fresh for many people on Staten Island, especially in New Brighton, where more snow fell than anywhere else in New York City.<\/p>\n
Residents say getting through those storms was difficult, but what frustrated them most was the city’s response. Homeowners described it as poor, disappointing and disrespectful.<\/p>\n
Shaun Winter remembers just how bad things were. “I walked a mile and a half to go to the bank, just to get some money,” he said.<\/p>\n
Winter told Eyewitness News his street was buried under snow for days with no plows in sight. He says that didn’t change until the issue got media attention. Asked what happened afterward, he said, “All of a sudden, that next day, I woke up going, oh my God. So do you think it was the media attention? Yes, it was.”<\/p>\n
Staten Island Borough President Vito Fossella said residents in the borough are hit especially hard during major storms because so many rely on cars. “We are car dependent and therefore people are disproportionately impacted,” Fossella said. “So if you live in Manhattan or parts of Brooklyn, you can walk to a subway and you’re fine. You can’t get to work if you can’t get out of your block or take your kids to school.”<\/p>\n
City leaders have since acknowledged mistakes were made when it came to snow removal on Staten Island. But that view is not shared everywhere. Eyewitness News Anchor Joe Torres noted that while the response drew heavy criticism on Staten Island, “there are four other boroughs in New York City, and over there, the assessment of the city’s response is very different than it is here.”<\/p>\n
Queens Borough President Donovan Richards offered a more positive view of the city’s cleanup efforts. “I think the cleanup, honestly, they did a relatively good job,” Richards said. “Of course you are going to miss some spots here and there. Everybody wants to see blacktop immediately, and that’s not just how the real world works.”<\/p>\n
Citywide, residents agree this past winter was unlike anything seen in nearly three decades, covering most of Mayor Eric Adams’ lifetime. But Staten Island residents say the storm response only reinforced a long-held belief that their borough gets overlooked.<\/p>\n
“But Staten Island is always the second child,” said New Brighton resident Barbara Lindsay. “Unfortunately we don’t get the attention we could get or should get. Why? I don’t know.”<\/p>\n
Many residents say that perception won’t change until they see City Hall make snow removal on Staten Island a top priority.<\/p>\n
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