Nearly a foot of snow blankets Hempstead Town

Nearly a foot of snow blanketed America’s largest township Tuesday evening and Wednesday morning, Hempstead Town officials said. They explained that town employees worked around the clock to prepare commuter parking lots for the morning rush hour, make neighborhood roadways passable for drivers and keep residents safe in bitterly cold temperatures.

As of Wednesday morning, all Town of Hempstead rows were plowed at least once, officials said, noting that crews would continue cleaning up throughout the day. About 240 plows were deployed during the town’s second snow emergency of 2014, in addition to salt spreaders who tried to prevent local streets from icing over in the cold.

“Safety is our number one focus as the Town of Hempstead cleans up after this month’s second major snowstorm,” Town Supervisor Kate Murray said. “Our dedicated town employees are working tirelessly to clear town roadways, and we urge residents to exercise caution if they must venture out on Wednesday.”

Crews began with salting early Tuesday morning, Murray said, before the snow began to fall. After the storm, the highest reported snowfall total town-wide was 12 inches in Atlantic Beach, with most communities’ totals falling between 10 and 12 inches.

With temperatures dipping below the freezing point on Wednesday, Murray said she is also concerned about town residents keeping warm after the storm. That is why officials said about a dozen warming centers will be open today - and why several programs have been canceled.

Household garbage and recycling pickup was suspended for Wednesday for residents served by the town's Sanitation Department. Officials are asking residents to not place items at the curb until their next regularly scheduled collection date.

All India Republic Day festivities, which were originally scheduled to take place at Town Hall Wednesday, were canceled. Hempstead Town also canceled all Parks Department and Senior Enrichment transportation and programs for the day.