Blizzard blankets Malverne village

Heavy snow and high winds have barreled into Long Island and in Malverne with accumulations of 8 to 11 inches expected, along with winds gusting to 45 mph. A winter storm warning is in effect until 7 p.m. Saturday night, according to the National Weather Service.

Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman urged county residents to stay inside their homes and off the roads at a press conference Friday afternoon.

"Our county is prepared for this event," Blakeman said. "WE have 80 trucks that have been out already since this morning salting the roads, and they are out prepared to do more salting throughout the evening, and they will plow throughout the evening and tomorrow morning. We expect this to be a two-day event  -- what I mean by that is the roads won't be clear probably until Sunday morning." 

Blakeman also advised residents to keep pets indoors and, in the case of likely power outages, to avoid fire hazards by not leaving candles unattended.

Gov. Kathy Hochul declared a state of emergency that began at 8 p.m. on Friday. The  Long Island Rail Road is shut down, and could remain out of service until the Monday morning rush hour,  MTA officials said. 

Town of Hempstead Supervisor Don Clavin said a crew is ready to plow the town's 1,200 miles of roadway.  "This winter storm is serious and we advise residents to try to stay home and refrain from driving as our region gets hit with heavy snow and strong winds," Clavin said.

The village left residents a notice by voicemail on Friday evening that there should be no street parking until 5 a.m. Monday. If you live in the village and did not receive a call, you can opt into emergency notifications here: www.malvernevillage.org/emergency-alerts.

The Malverne Fire Department has put out a severe snowstorm alert and emergency fire personnel will be stationed at the firehouse until the storm surpasses and road conditions improve.

"Please, we urge all residents to STAY HOME and not to put yourselves, others, or our first responders at risk," Malverne FD officials posted on Facebook. "Check on your elderly neighbors and shovel the snow in time shifts or segments as to prevent fatigue or severe injury, and please take the time to shovel a 3-foot area around your fire hydrants."

Malverne Reported 11.1 inches of snow as of 1 p.m. The Department of Public Works is doing a great job taking care of plowing and salting, said Malverne Mayor Keith Corbett, and the village is working on a fifth-round of plowing and salting before nightfall. "Superintendent [Kevin] Brady and the whole [D.P.W.] crew were out early and still going," Corbett reported around 5 p.m. Saturday. 

Should there be power outages or downed wires, call PSEG at (800) 490-0075. To Report and received status updates text OUT TO PSEGLI (773454 or go online, www.psegliny.com/outages.