Preparations underway to manage what may be the worst storm of the season

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All of Long Island is now under a Blizzard Watch from late Monday, March 13, into Wednesday, March 15.

Forecasters at the National Weather Service are predicting 12 to 18 inches of snow and high winds for Nassau County as a powerful nor’easter sweeps into the area. If predictions hold true, the storm could become one of the biggest March snowstorms in recorded history.

Snow is expected to start to fall late Monday night into early Tuesday morning. The period of greatest impact will likely be Tuesday, beginning with the morning commute and lasting through the evening, forecasters say.

Sea Cliff Mayor Ed Lieberman said the village has coordinated with the Nassau County Department of Public Works to prep for the Tuesday’s snowstorm. “We are in constant communication with Tony Cano, supervisor of the crew,” Lieberman said. “We have a very good relationship with the crew. They have jurisdiction over many of our roads.”

Glen Cove Mayor Reggie Spinello said his Office of Emergency Management has moved forward with the activation of the city’s storm readiness action plan.

“With an estimated snowfall of over a foot of snow, it is critical that our police, emergency services, public works and mayor’s office teams are working in partnership to ensure the safety of our residents before, during and after this snow storm,” said Spinello.

At press time, PSEG Long Island was busily preparing for the possibility of power outages. “PSEG Long Island takes storms of this forecasted magnitude seriously, and we proactively prepare and position our restoration workforce so our crews can begin work as soon as the conditions are safe,” said John O’Connell, PSEG-LI's vice president of transmission and distribution. “In addition to scheduling additional PSEG Long Island personnel and contractors to respond to outages, we have arranged for utility crews from other states to provide assistance in restoring customer outages that may result from the storm.”

PSEG-LI offered this advice to homeowners:

* Save PSEG Long Island’s 24-hour Electric Service number: (800) 490-0075.

* Follow PSEG Long Island on Facebook and Twitter for updates before, during and after the storm. Remember, though, that outages cannot be reported through Facebook.

* Downed wires should always be considered live. Do not approach or drive over a downed line and do not touch anything it might be in contact with. If a wire falls on or near your car, stay inside the car, call 911 and do not get out until PSEG Long Island de-energizes the line. If you must get out of the vehicle because it is on fire, jump as far as possible away from the vehicle, with both feet landing on the ground at the same time, and hop or shuffle away.

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

Glen Cove’s DPW has 25 pieces of equipment ready for service and over 500 tons of a salt and sand in stock.

Prior to the actual plowing, the city’s 12 sanders will be pre-coating the roads. And third party contractors are also on-call for additional snow services and tree removal.

In the Sea Cliff area, DPW will assist in clearing the roads of snow on several of the main roads in the village including: Sea Cliff Ave. Prospect Ave., Glen Ave., Cliff Way, and The Blvd. Lieberman explained that they have trucks and plows that were examined and are “fully prepared.”

He added that the village is not waiting for the storm to hit. “We are all prepared now,” he said on Monday morning. “Things are being accomplished for the betterment of the community.”

The mayor is requesting that residents do their part to ensure that everyone is safe. Lieberman urged residents to take precautionary measures and avoid travelling when the storm hits. “Always be vigilant, try to stay off the road, and follow everything Nassau County says,” Lieberman added.

Spinello added that for Glen Cove residents it is mandatory that all motor vehicles be removed from public streets by midnight on Monday or they will be subject to removal. Vehicles can be parked in the driveway, on lawns, in Glen Cove’s downtown municipal garages, or at the rear parking lot of Coles School.

In addition, the mayor said that snow should not be shoveled or blown into city streets. Home and business owners are accountable for shoveling and clearing their driveways and sidewalks within 12 hours of a storm.

The Glen Cove Volunteer Fire Department is asking residents to shovel out fire hydrants that are on or near their properties.

Like Lieberman, Spinello is encouraging residents to avoid any unnecessary travel, to check on neighbors who may need assistance and keep pets inside for everyone’s safety and wellbeing.

Garbage, recycling and yard waste pick up is cancelled for Tuesday and Wednesday in Glen Cove with normal collection schedules to resume on Thursday and Friday. The Glen Cove City Council meeting has been rescheduled for Thursday, March 16 at the North Shore Historical Museum. The Glen Cove Senior Center will be open as a community warming center from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Tuesday, March 14.

To report a fallen tree or snow issue, Spinello said residents should call DPW at (516) 656-2967 and recommends that for a power outage that PSEG be called at (800) 490-0075. 911 should be used only for emergencies.

Updates will follow.

Nakeem Grant contributed to this story.