Staying safe during the storm

Elmont, Franklin Square and Sewanhaka Schools are all closed on Feb. 9 due to inclement weather conditions, as the National Weather Service has upgraded its forecast for Long Island to Blizzard Warning. 

Updated 10:30 a.m., Feb. 9: The National Weather Service has upgraded its Feb. 9 forecast for Long Island to Blizzard Warning, meaning more snow will likely fall than originally predicted and sustained winds and gusts will blow at higher speeds.

By 5 a.m., a heavy, wet snow, mixed with freezing rain, had already begun to fall. The snow was expected to turn more powdery as temperatures dropped into the low 20s throughout the day. Snow could fall at three inches per hour at times, and accumulations could range between 12 to 16 inches.

Expect winds out of the north to blow at 20 to 35 miles per hour, with the strongest gusts up to 45 mph.

Luckily for Franklin Square resident Robert Destefano, he didn't have to go to his job in Wantagh today because it was tough to dig out. "It took me an hour and a half to use the snowblower," he said. "The snow is heavy. Now I just have to go back out at 5 p.m. and probably just do a cleanup."

Throughout Franklin Square and Elmont, crews were busy on Wednesday pretreating streets south of Sunrise Highway with brine, a snow-melting solution. They will apply rock salt to the rest of the town, have plows ready and are clearing storm drains. The town has 400 pieces of equipment and 4,500 tons of salt ready to treat roads and parking lots. The Town is responsible for snow removal during storms like this in Franklin Square and Elmont.

At a news conference at the Town of Hempstead Sanitation Department, Supervisor Anthony Santino advised people to avoid driving as much as possible. "If you can, stay home with your kids and binge-watch their favorite Netflix show," he said.

Nassau County's Department of Public Works began pre-treating roads with brine on Wednesday as well.

Officials asked that people not park on streets to allow plow crews to clear the roads as quickly as possible.

Nassau County opened its Emergency Hotline at 5 a.m. For non-life-threatening emergencies, call (800) 315-5153. For life-threatening emergencies, call 911 immediately.

Homeless people in need of shelter should call the county's WarmBed Hotline at (866) 927-6233

PSEG Long Island officials said to expect possible power outages. To report an outage, call (800) 490-0075.

The Long Island Rail Road cancelled nine trains on six branches on Thursday because of a non-commuter train derailment at Jamaica Station the day before. Because of reduced service and the snowy weather, riders should expect delays, LIRR officials said. Go to mta.info for updates.

For flight delays at John F. Kennedy International Airport, go to panynj.gov/airports/jfk-airlines.html.

For airport alerts, go to airportinfoalerts.com/recentmessages.aspx.

More snowstorm coverage will continue throughout the day, so visit liherald.com for updated information.