Snowstorm slammed Baldwin

Baldwin residents woke up to a thick blanket of snow on yesterday morning, and got even more throughout the day.

All Baldwin schools were closed, along with the Baldwin Library, and the Baldwin Civic Association cancelled its Thursday night meeting.

"Stay indoors, enjoy the day off and make a nice cup of hot chocolate," Mahler advised people who didn't have to go to work.

The National Weather Service upgraded its Feb. 9 forecast for Long Island to Blizzard Warning, meaning more snow will likely fall than originally predicted and sustained winds and gusts will blow at higher speeds.

Throughout the Town of Hempstead, crews were busy on Wednesday pretreating streets south of Sunrise Highway with brine, a snow-melting solution. They will apply rock salt to the rest of the town, have plows ready and are clearing storm drains. The town has 400 pieces of equipment and 4,500 tons of salt ready to treat roads and parking lots.

At a news conference at the Town of Hempstead Sanitation Department, Supervisor Anthony Santino advised people to avoid driving as much as possible. "If you can, stay home with your kids and binge-watch their favorite Netflix show," he said.

Nassau County’s Department of Public Works began pre-treating roads with brine on Wednesday as well.

“Nassau County is helping to ensure residents have a safe commute by brining main County roadways, bridges and overpasses to prevent black ice,” said County Executive Ed Mangano. “DPW is at the ready to plow and salt county roadways. Our Office of Emergency Management is closely monitoring the storm and has put assets in place to assist residents should the need arise.”

Officials asked that people not park on streets to allow plow crews to clear the roads as quickly as possible.

Nassau County opened its Emergency Hotline at 5 a.m. For non-life-threatening emergencies, call (800) 315-5153. For life-threatening emergencies, call 911 immediately.

Homeless people in need of shelter should call the county's WarmBed Hotline at (866) 927-6233

PSEG Long Island officials said to expect possible power outages. To report an outage, call (800) 490-0075.

The Long Island Rail Road canceled nine trains on six branches on Thursday because of a non-commuter train derailment at Jamaica Station the day before. Because of reduced service and the snowy weather, riders should expect delays, LIRR officials said. Go to mta.info for updates.

For flight delays at John F. Kennedy International Airport, go to panynj.gov/airports/jfk-airlines.html.

For airport alerts, go to airportinfoalerts.com/recentmessages.aspx.