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BaBylon _______________
HERALD BEaCon
Also serving Babylon, Bay Shore, Copiague, Deer Park, Farmingdale, Lindenhurst, North Babylon, West Babylon, West Islip and Wyandanch
Two candidates running for Babylon Village Board Wednesday, March 18
Bay officer from Copiague writes a debut thriller
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VOL. 60 NO. 7
MARCH 5 - 11, 2026
$1.00
BRAVING THE ELEMENTS - AND THE FLAMES
Carolyn James/Herald photos
Paul Mazza/Zone2 photography
Long Islanders worked to dig out of the biggest snowstorm in more than a decade.
Firefighters from departments throughout Babylon Town fought apartment blaze in WB
Babylon digs out after blizzard hits LI
Church offers shelter to victims of WB fire
By CAROLYN JAMES & CHRISTIE LEIGH BABIRAD of the Herald
A powerful blizzard swept across Babylon Town and surrounding villages on Feb. 22–23, leaving behind heavy snow, ice, strong winds and widespread disruptions. The storm, which forecasters had warned could bring “historic” snowfall, dumped 20-23 inches in many communities, followed by another 2 to 3 inches on Feb. 25, with isolated areas reporting even higher totals. Snow began falling late Sunday morning and intensified overnight, combined with gusts up to 40 mph that reduced visibility and created treacherous driving conditions. Local authorities urged residents to stay home and avoid travel, and school districts announced closures for Monday and Tuesday. The blizzard caused widespread power outages, primarily out East, leaving homes and businesses without electricity. Utility crews worked through the
night to restore service. Emergency services reported numerous accidents on snow- and ice-covered roads. The Long Island Rail Road and major bus lines operated on limited schedules, and flights at Long Island MacArthur Airport and JFK experienced significant delays or cancellations. Locally, employees from the Town of Babylon and the villages of Babylon and Lindenhurst worked to create access to roads, particularly for emergency vehicles, and then to clear them for regular traffic as schools reopened and people headed back to work. West Babylon resident Clare Hayduscko commended the Town of Babylon for its efforts during the snowstorm. “When I looked out, I was surprised, the streets were actually clean,” she said. “I’m pleased with how the village handled this storm,” said Babylon Village resident Kevin Mullahy. “Babylon got hit very hard and compared to neighboring towns, our roads seemed to be in much CONTINUED ON PAGE 7
By CAROLYN JAMES cjames@liherald.com
As flames tore through the Fairfield Suburbia Gardens complex in West Babylon Tuesday night, Our Lady of Grace Roman Catholic Church opened its doors to displaced residents seeking warmth and shelter and to firefighters who set up command centers there. Within minutes of the evacuation, parish staff and volunteers transformed church space into an emergency refuge, offering residents a place to sit and regroup amid bitter cold temperatures and uncertainty. “I knew immediately that it was the right thing to do,” said Brian Miller, a dea-
con at Our Lady of Grace who also serves as chaplain and a member of the West Babylon Fire Department. “I knew immediately it was the Christian thing to do.” West Babylon firefighters were joined by those from Babylon, Lindenhurst, North Lindenhurst, North Amityville, Deer Park, and West Islip Fire Departments, and the East Farmingdale, and North Babylon Fire Companies. Wyandanch-Wheatley Heights Ambulance Corps responded with their rehab equipment and Babylon Central Fire Alarm responded with their Mobile Command unit. The blaze broke out at the complex on Great East Neck Road shortly before CONTINUED ON PAGE 7