Snow and wind hit the Five Towns hard

Schools closed on Friday; no Sanitary District 1 service

Posted

After being pummled with at least eight inches of snow, winds gusts up to 55 mph and drifts as high as six feet, the Five Towns will continue to dig out as several schools are closed and there will not be Sanitary District 1 service until Monday.

Because of the bad wether and and possible hazardous road conditions Hewlett-Woodmere and Lawrence schools, The Brandeis School,  Five Towns Early Learning Center, the Hebrew Academy of the Five Towns and Rockaway, the Hebrew Academy for Special Children and the Lawrence Woodmere Academy are all closed on Jan. 5. 

Sanitary District 1 Superintendent George Pappas said that "due to the extremely dangerous conditions and frigid temperatures" S.D. 1 will be closed on Friday. "We ask that residents make a clear path to their garbage pails or bring their garbage to the curb," he added.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo declared a state of emergency earlier on Thursday, and a blizzard warning was in effect until 1 a.m. on Jan. 5. Service was suspended on the Long Island Rail Road Far Rockaway branch, but was restored. LIRR officials said they expect normal morning services, but the lingering effects of the storm could impact service. They remind customers to check before traveling. 

Nassau County Executive Laura Curran said that the "next several hours are critical, stay off the roads unless absolutely necessary." "The National Weather Service is warning of blizzard-like conditins as lte as 1 a.m.," Curran said. "Clearly, this storm is not over."

Up to a foot of snow has fallen across the county, expected accumulations could supass 18 inches in some areas before tapering off. Officials said the safest place to be is home. Residents are also asked not to shovel snow into roadways when clearing driveways as that could affect snow removal and impede first responders.

Officials said that there have been 50 vehicular accidents across the county, none were serious. County residents are advised to listen to weather updates and are asked to use the non-emergency hotline if needed: (800) 315-5153.

Town of Hempstead Supervisor Laura Gillen said that more than 200 pieces of eqipment will spread salt and plow 1.200 miles of roadway. She said that residents should remove vehicles from local roadways for more efficient plowing.

Lawrence village officials battled the  snow and wind that  created terrible drifts. Plowing  continue d throughout Thursday to help ensure that snow did not pile up. 

Cedarhurst had eight ploews of varying size, four of which have salt spreaders. "Due to the combination of small and larger streets, when you're plowing you can't use the same truck on all of the streets in the village," Mayor Benjamin Weinstock.

In Hewlett Harbor, Mayor Mark Weiss said that the crosswind pushd the plowed snow back onto the streets immediately after the village's road superintendent, Gerard LeClair, plows.

THere were scattered outages across the county, especially on the North Shore. PSEG Long Island officials said that while generators may be useful during an extended outage, especially when it is cold, PSEG Long Island is reminding customers to never use a portable electric generator inside of or in very near proximity of a home, business or any enclosed space. Gas generators should be used with caution, following all safety and operational guidelines in order to prevent carbon monoxide poisoning, electric shock and fire.

To report and receive status updates on an outage Text OUT to PSEGLI (773454) or to report an outage online visit www.psegliny.com.
 
Follow PSEG Long Island on Facebook and Twitter to report an outage and for updates before, during and after the storm.

Downed wires should always be considered “live.” Do not approach or drive over a downed line and do not touch anything contacting the wire. To report a downed wire call PSEG Long Island’s 24-hour Electric Service number: 1-800-490-0075

Visit PSEG Long Island’s outage map to view outage information across Long Island and the Rockaways at https://outagemap.psegliny.com.

Make sure everyone in the family is prepared and knows what to do if there is an emergency. Visit https://www.psegliny.com/page.cfm/Home/Safety to learn about safety tips from Sesame Street, YouTube safety videos and more.