Winter storm floods the Baldwin Community

From flooding to freezing — the Baldwin community and the south shore prepare for severe storms this holiday season.

As the high tide came around at 7 a.m., storm winds and rain bolstered the tide past Baldwin Harbor Park and breached the local infrastructure, flooding roadways. The Town of Hempstead issued a severe thunderstorm warning for Nassau County, following the flooding, by the National Weather Service at 1 p.m.

Following the several instances of widespread flooding in Nassau County — like in Baldwin — this morning County Executive Bruce Blakeman and the Department of Public Works updated residents on what they can expect from the storm and what precautions they can take to stay safe.

“I'm happy to report that we are through the first storm and that things are getting back to normal,” Blakeman said inside the Office of Emergency Management on Dec. 23. “But that will be short lived.”

Blakeman reported that most of the rainfall occurred around 7:30 a.m. — around the same time as high tide — which caused most of the coastal flooding throughout the South Shore of the County.

“We now have the flooding under control,” Blakeman said. “Our DPW is out, they are cleaning drains, they've pumped out water and our DPW will start preparing for the second storm that will be arriving this afternoon.”

The second storm will feature a cold snap, with a “30 degree downward swing,” according to Blakeman, with the wind chill feeling as low as negative five degrees.

“With that there will be a significant amount of ice on the roads, even though we're out salting, and it will be a dangerous condition,” he said. “We're asking everybody to please stay home or stay local. Do not go out on the roads unless you have to. Tomorrow will be a much better day to go shopping.”

The high wind speeds caused some power outages and downed trees as well. Around 2,000 county resident are experiencing outages, and there could be with the anticipated high wind gusts this evening. Blakeman said that they are in touch with PSEG, who are working on the current outages and are prepare for more.

Blakeman advised residents to keep pets in doors due to the cold weather, and to check on any elderly neighbors who may have lost power. He said to stock up on fresh water and bottled water and keep a flashlight ready. If you want to burn candles, make sure they are fully out before going to bed.

“Our trucks are already out salting, preparing the roads, and we are hopeful that we'll get the ice under control but there will be patches of ice that you will not be able to see,” Blakeman said. “Please exercise extreme caution. Keep your speed down and stay alert.”

Additional reporting by Mallory Wilson