45.0°,
Partly Cloudy Snow blankets Franklin Square and Elmont
Updated at 11:48 a.m.
Despite the heavy snowfall, PSEG Long Island has reported that hardly any of the 10,466 customers in Franklin Square have been without electricity. According to its outage map, less than five households have reported losing power since the snowstorm began late Friday night.
The Nassau County Police Department has issued a traffic advisory for Jan. 23. The police urge residents to avoid using the roads.
"Nassau County is experiencing icy road conditions along with high winds, which is causing minor accidents and spin outs," the police said.
The winds have made the snow drifts reach higher than first thought, said Franklin Square resident Mike Mollish.
"Six to 12 inches is wrong," he said. "These drifts are five feet deep."
The Elmont and Sewanhaka school districts have cancelled all activities for Saturday Jan. 23 due to inclement weather.
"All district activities are canceled for Saturday, January 23, 2016 and Sunday, January 24, 2016," was the message on the homepage of the Sewanhaka school district site. "This includes the administration of the SAT Exam scheduled at H. Frank Carey HS. A make-up rescheduled date will be provided sometime in February."
The Franklin Square Public Library has cancelled all events for Saturday as well.
Saint Catherine of Sienna has cancelled Mass service for today. The parish will celebrate Mass only on Sunday at 11:00AM (Sienna Center), 11:30AM (Church), 1:00PM (Sienna Center) and1:00PM (Spanish in Church).
· The welcome desk is closed for weekend (Saturday, January 23 and Sunday, January 24).
· The offices are closed — Parish Office, Faith Formation Office and SCS Outreach Office not open on weekend.
· All parish activities are cancelled including Faith Formation classes and CYO sports games due to weather conditions, the close of the buildings and necessary removal of snow.
The National Weather Service has issued a blizzard warning for Long Island effective through noon on Sunday, and the forecast for Franklin Square and Elmont now calls for eight to 12 inches of snow. The storm began late Friday night and will continue throughout the day on Saturday.
Winds could generate gusts of up to 50 mph and power outages are possible. There also could be coastal flooding and beach erosion.
Town of Hempstead Supervisor Anthony Santino declared a state of emergency that went into effect at 11 p.m. on Friday.
The town canceled all Parks Department and ANCHOR programs and registrations through the weekend
Additionally, town Civil Service exams scheduled for Saturday were cancelled and will be rescheduled. A Monday, meeting of the Town Village Aircraft Safety & Noise Abatement Committee (TVASNAC) has been cancelled. Further, Hempstead Town’s Department of Senior Enrichment programs and transportation will be cancelled for Monday, as well.
“The town’s snow team is ready to work to ensure that our roadways are safe and clear,” said Santino. “I am declaring a State of Emergency, requesting that all cars be removed from roadways, and I urge all motorists to limit travel to emergency situations.”
