Few Brave The Long Island Cold

DEER PARK, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) -- The bitter cold turned Long Island's public squares and malls into virtual ghost towns Tuesday.

As TV 10/55 Long Island Bureau Chief Richard Rose reported, John Dasilva, of Huntington, and his 2-year-old son, Colin, accounted for one of the few exceptions. They were spotted playing hockey at Suffolk County's Deer Park.

"I'm feeling like I'm in Canada with my little guy here," Dasilva said. "Nobody's here skating, so we're trying to make the best of it."

It wasn't just the skating rinks. Parks normally filled with people walking their dogs were completely empty, and in downtowns, bundled-up people rushed from their cars, sometimes forgetting the essentials.

"They say you lose a lot of body heat through the head," said Betty Keron, of Brightwaters, who forgot her to-do list. "Could be affecting my thinking. That's why I'm not wearing a hat."

There was plenty of activity, however, at urgent-care medical centers, where managers say they're fielding plenty of weather-related calls.

"Anyone can have frostbite," Dr. Beverly Silverman, of Stat-Health in Plainview said. "Anyone can suffer hypothermia, and sometimes the initial signs are subtle."

Farmingdale firefighter John Senia agrees, adding his department is frequently called to schools to treat kids not dressed warmly enough.

"When they go to school, parents should always dress them warmly because when recess time comes, you always want to make sure they're dressed warm because they've very prone to getting hypothermia," Senia said.

Dasilva said he followed that advice before taking his son outside.

"He's in three layers," Dasilva said. "He's got his thermals on. He's got his little puppy mittens on. He's doing good."

But just to be sure, Dasilva said he also constantly checks to see if Colin is feeling the effects of the frigid weather.

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