BAY RIDGE — A week and a half after a winter storm that brought over 10 inches of snow in the area, frigid temperatures left Brooklynites digging out longer than expected.
In 2022, lifelong Bay Ridge resident Bernie Hoban started a Facebook group to help people, especially seniors, find others to shovel snow outside their homes. The group is called Bay Ridge Shoveling Connection.
The Bay Ridge Shoveling Connection has helped residents dig out of the icy roads. Photo courtesy of Bernie Hoban
“The shoveling connection was established by me in 2022 after I noticed on the Bay Ridge Talk page seeking people to shovel while also seeing separate posts about people looking for work to shovel,” Hoban told the Brooklyn Eagle. “My solution was to establish this group and invite people who may want to shovel or who need shoveling.”
The group started early with 100 members and now has over 1,000. Following the storm, new members are requesting to join daily.
“I am thrilled that it works and connects people who may have elderly parents living in Bay Ridge and they have been able to arrange assistance for them,” Hoban said. “It was an easy task that has paid off tremendously.”
Because the city has had sub-32-degree days, the snow hasn’t melted and much of it has turned into ice, making it difficult for locals to dig out their vehicles, get on the buses and cross the street.
“The requests are still coming in, mostly for cars to be unburied and not so much for homes,” said Hoban. “Mostly cars and driveways.”
The page has been very helpful for locals.
The Bay Ridge Shoveling Connection has helped residents dig out of the icy roads. Photo courtesy of Bernie Hoban
“My husband has a bad back, and this group is good because we can hire someone and it gives him a break,” said Bay Ridge resident Lisa D. “That’s something we didn’t have before I joined the group. People like us need to drive to doctors’ appointments.”
People leave their phone numbers to help connect and schedule times and prices to shovel their property.
Alternate Side Parking is suspended through Feb. 8. It is scheduled to be back in effect Feb. 9.
The conditions have made it difficult for the New York City Department of Sanitation (DSNY) to collect trash and clear snow.
“It was like dealing with rock boulders that the workers were out there trying to chop up to try to open up the walkway,” acting DSNY Commissioner Javier Lojan told ABC 7 on Feb 2. “So that definitely slowed down some of the progress. And obviously that was a big priority for us.”
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