Bellmore-Merrick digs out after monster storm Nemo

A major winter storm dubbed "Nemo" slammed into Long Island’s South Shore Friday into Saturday morning, Feb. 8 to 9, and dumped anywhere from eight to 14 inches of snow on Bellmore-Merrick.

By midday, Town of Hempstead and Nassau County road crews had, for the most part, cleared local roads, and homeowners could be seen in their driveways removing snow with blowers and shovels.

According to the Long Island Power Authority's website, roughly 12,000 Town of Hempstead ratepayers lost electricity during the storm. By 12:30 p.m. on Saturday, that number was cut down to less than 500.

The Bellmore-Merrick Central High School District cancelled all after-school activities for Friday, along with driver's education for the weekend.

The Bellmore, Merrick, North Bellmore and North Merrick elementary districts dismissed at the normal time on Friday, but all evening and weekend activities were cancelled.

Town of Hempstead Supervisor Kate Murray declared a snow emergency and asked all town residents to keep their cars off the street to allow plows through. All town park and senior-enrichment activities scheduled for Feb. 8 were cancelled.

During the day on Friday, National Weather Service forecasters said, early-morning snow would change over to rain, as temperatures reached a high of 38 degrees Fahrenheit. It was breezy, with a northeast wind blowing steadily at 17 to 24 miles per hour and gusting at times up to 47 mph. The rain became snow after 4 p.m.

Snow fell relentlessly overnight, totaling nearly a foot in most parts of the Bellmores and Merricks. As the storm bore down on Long Island, wind speeds increased to 25 to 29 mph, with gusts up to 55 mph.

By 9 a.m. on Saturday, the snow had largely stopped falling, but winds whipped up loose snow, decreasing visibility. Winds died down a bit, to 23 to 26 mph, with gusts as high as 48 mph. The sun appeared in the sky at midday.

The weather was expected to clear late Saturday afternoon into the evening.

The following are emergency numbers from New York State Sen. Charles Fuschillo Jr.:

To report power outages or downed power lines:

* Long Island Power Authority/National Grid: (800) 490-0075

24-hour emergency gas service:

* National Grid: (800) 490-0045

Information on mass transit service:

* Long Island Rail Road 24-hour travel information center: (718) 217-5477 or www.mta.info/lirr

* NICE Bus travel information: (516) 228-4000 or www.nicebus.com

* New York City Transit travel information: (718) 330-1234 or www.mta.info

Up-to-the-minute information about traffic conditions on Long Island’s major roads:

* New York State Department of Transportation’s 511 service: Call 5-1-1 or www.511ny.org.

To report snow-plowing issues:

* Town of Hempstead: (516) 489-5000

* State Department of Transportation: (631) 904-3059

Julie Mansmann and Brian Racow contributed to this story.