Gov. Andrew Cuomo Update On Storm

SUPERINTENDENT GEORGE BEACH
SUPERINTENDENT OF THE NEW YORK
STATE POLICE.
WE HAVE BEEN PREPARING FOR THE
PAST COUPLE OF DAYS FOR THE
STORM THE MUCH-ANTICIPATED
STORM, MOTHER NATURE IS AN
UNPREDICTABLE LADY SOMETIMES.
SHE WAS UNPREDICTABLE ONCE
AGAIN TODAY.
ALL THE FORECASTS SAID THE
STORM WOULD HIT NEW YORK CITY
AND LONG ISLAND THE HEAVIEST
ALTHOUGH IT WOULD AFFECT THE
ENTIRE STATE, WE DEPLOYED
ACCORDINGLY, SO NEW YORK CITY
AND LONG ISLAND HAVE BEEN THE
FOCUS OF OUR ACTIVITY.
AGAIN, ALTHOUGH WE HAVE
RESOURCES ALL ACROSS THE STATE,
THE WAY THAT THE WEATHER
PATTERN IS SHAPING UP, THE STORM
MOVES MORE WESTWARD IT IS LESS
OF A SNOWSTORM IN NEW YORK CITY
AND LONG ISLAND, IT IS ACTUALLY
MORE SLEET AND PRECIPITATION.
THAT IS THE GOOD NEWS.
THE WARNING IS THAT WE HAVE TO
WATCH THE TEMPERATURE AS WE GO
THROUGH THE DAY AND NIGHT
BECAUSE THE SLEET AND
PRECIPITATION COULD TURN INTO
ICE.
IT COULD MAKE THE COMMUTE MORE
DIFFICULT.
IT IS ACTUALLY EASIER TO MOVE
SNOW THAN IT IS TO MOVE ICE,
OBVIOUSLY.
SO WE ARE WATCHING THE WEATHER.
THAT IS BASICALLY GOOD NEWS
FROM WHAT WE WERE EXPECTING, IT
HAS BEEN LESS SNOWFALL THAN
PREDICTED, LESS DISRUPTION, WE
HAVE NO EVIDENCE OF ANY COASTAL
FLOODING ALONG THE LONG ISLAND,
WE HAVE NO EVIDENCE OF ANY
POWER OUTAGES OF ANY
SIGNIFICANCE.
EVEN THOUGH WE HAVE HAD HIGH
GUSTING WIND IN THE ENTIRE
METROPOLITAN AREA SO THAT IS
ALL GOOD NEWS.
LESS GOOD NEWS, WHEN THE STORM
MOVED LEFT A WEST, IT'S
INCREASED THE TOTALS IN OTHER
PARTS OF THE STATE.
THE MID-HUDSON AREA TO THE
CAPITAL DISTRICT HAS BEEN HIT
VERY HARD, 18 TO 20 INCHES,
BLIZZARD CONDITIONS ARE STILL
FORECASTED FOR THE MID-HUDSON
AND CAPITAL DISTRICT ALTHOUGH
THE BLIZZARD WARNING FOR NEW
YORK CITY AND LONG ISLAND HAS
BEEN LIFTED.
WE ARE FOCUSING ON THE MID-
HUDSON AND THE CAPITAL DISTRICT,
THE MOST HARD-HIT PART OF THE
STATE IS THE SOUTHERN TIER,
BINGHAMTON THE I-88 CORE DOOR,
THAT GOES UP TO ALBANY AND
CENTRAL NEW YORK, THERE, WE
EXPECT BLIZZARD LIKE CONDITIONS
UP TO 30 INCHES OF SNOW.
WE HAVE ISSUED A TRAVEL BAN FOR
ALL OF BROOME COUNTY AND WE ARE
CURRENTLY REDEPLOYING ASSETS
FROM NEW YORK CITY AND LONG
ISLAND TO CENTRAL NEW YORK IN
THE SOUTHERN TIER.
WE HAVE 5000 PIECES OF
EQUIPMENT I MERRILY PLOWS THAT
HAVE BEEN DEPLOYED ACROSS THE
STATE, WE HAVE ABOUT 2000
NATIONAL GUARD WHO HAVE BEEN
DEPLOYED ACROSS THE STATE AND
WILL NOW BE SHIFTING THOSE
DEPLOYMENTS MORE TOWARD CENTRAL
NEW YORK.
WE HAD PREVIOUSLY ANNOUNCED THE
TRACTOR-TRAILER BAN ON ROUTE
81, 84, 88, 86 AND 17 AND THE
NEW YORK STATE THRUWAY THAT
WILL STAY IN EFFECT, WE
ANNOUNCED THAT THE METRO-NORTH
TRAIN SERVICE WOULD BE
SUSPENDED AT NOON BECAUSE METRO-
NORTH GOES UP INTO THE HUDSON
VALLEY.
WHERE WE ARE EXPERIENCING
SIGNIFICANT SNOWFALL, THE LONG
ISLAND RAILROAD CONTINUES TO
OPERATE NEW YORK CITY BUSES
CONTINUE TO OPERATE, THE SUBWAY
SYSTEM IS CONTINUING TO OPERATE
SO THAT IS ALL GOOD NEWS.
ONE OF THE BENEFITS WE HAD IN
THE SITUATION WAS PEOPLE
ACTUALLY HEARD THE FORECAST AND
THE WARNINGS.
THEY STAYED HOME SCHOOLS ARE
CLOSED BUSINESSES WERE CLOSED
AND THAT WORKED, THE LOWER
VOLUME ALLOWED THE FIRST
RESPONDERS AND EMERGENCY CREWS
TO DO THEIR JOB, PEOPLE ARE
STAYING OFF THE ROADS WHICH IS
SMART WHICH I ENCOURAGE.
STAY INSIDE, VIEW THIS FROM THE
WINDOW IT LOOKS BEAUTIFUL FROM
THE WINDOW.
IF YOU STEP OUTSIDE IT IS NOT
AS BEAUTIFUL, TRUST ME I HAVE
BEEN THERE.
SO THE LOWER VOLUME WILL ALLOW
US TO DO OUR JOB TODAY SO THE
MORNING COMMUTE, WE ARE IN
BETTER SHAPE.
ALSO, WHEN THINGS ARE AT THEIR
WORST, NEW YORKERS ARE AT THEIR
BEST, THIS IS ALSO THE TIME TO
BE A GOOD NEIGHBOR.
IF YOU HAVE A SENIOR CITIZEN ON
YOUR BLOCK OR SOMEBODY WHO IS
HOMEBOUND, WHO LIVES NEAR YOU
IT IS A GOOD IDEA TO KNOCK ON
THEIR DOOR AND SAY HELLO, MAKE
SURE EVERYTHING IS OKAY.
BUT, THE STORM IN THE NEW YORK
CITY AREA IS NOT AS BAD AS
ANTICIPATED.
THE PROBLEM IS, IT IS WORSE
THAN ANTICIPATED IN OTHER AREAS
OF THE STATE, SUPER STORM SANDY
WAS ALMOST THE SAME THING AND I
RING THE SAME THING FORECASTED
TO HIT NEW YORK CITY IT DIDN'T
HIT NEW YORK CITY BUT IT
DEVASTATED UPSTATE NEW YORK.
THAT IS THE SAME TYPE OF
SITUATION WE ARE LOOKING AT
NOW, WITH THAT I WILL TURN IT
OVER TO THE MTA FOR AN UPDATE
AND THEN WE WILL HEAR FROM PAT
40 WHO WILL TALK ABOUT THE
AIRPORTS.
AS THE GOVERNOR NOTED MANY
PEOPLE HAVE HEEDED HIS CAUTION
TO STAY OFF THE ROADS AND NOT
TRAVEL, SO WE SEE SIGNIFICANTLY
REDUCED RIDERSHIP WHICH IS A
GOOD THING.
WE HAVE BUS SERVICE IN EVERY
BOROUGH WE ARE NOT RUNNING THE
DOUBLE ARTICULATED BUSES
BECAUSE THEY DON'T DO WELL IN
THE SNOW AND ICE BUT WE ARE
MEETING ALL OF THE DEMAND FOR
BUS SERVICE.
ON THE SUBWAY SITE SERVICE IN
EVERY BOROUGH RUNS UNDERGROUND
SUBWAY SERVICE AND THAT
CONTINUES.
THE LONG ISLAND RAILROAD IS
RUNNING REGULAR SCHEDULE THIS
MORNING.
WE HAVE THE BENEFIT OF LESS
SEVERE WEATHER ON LONG ISLAND
BUT WE ARE MONITORING THE
SITUATION CLOSELY.
ON METRO-NORTH BECAUSE THEY RUN
NORTH OF THE CITY IN AREAS OF
HIGHER SNOW WITH SIGNIFICANT
WIND WE WILL BE CURTAILING
SERVICE BY NOON, THE RAILROADS
ARE SEEING VERY SIGNIFICANT LOW
RIDERSHIP LITERALLY 10 TO 15%
OF WHAT THE -- WE WOULD
NORMALLY SEE, PLANS GOING
FORWARD TO GET SERVICE BACK UP
AND RUNNING FOR A NORMAL RUSH
HOUR TOMORROW MORNING AND I
WOULD ASSURE YOU WE HAVE 46,000
MEN AND WOMEN IN THE VARIOUS
AGENCIES WORKING HARD TO CREATE
A SAFE ENVIRONMENT FOR THAT
MORNING RUSH.
THANK YOU, GOVERNOR.
PORT AUTHORITY.
ONE CANCELLATION 99% OF THE
FLIGHTS AT LAGUARDIA HAVE BEEN
CANCELED SIGNIFICANT NUMBER OF
CANCELLATIONS AT JFK WE EXPECT
THE NUMBER TO GROW, SECOND
CHECK WITH YOUR CARRIER'S YOU
CAN REBOOK ELECTRONICALLY FROM
HOME, DEPARTING PASSENGERS
TOMORROW AND THURSDAY AT
LAGUARDIA AND JFK SHOULD NOT GO
TO THE AIRPORT UNLESS YOU HAVE
A RESERVATION, WE EXPECT HEAVY
VEHICULAR TRAFFIC IN LAGUARDIA
AND JFK.
25 MILES PER HOUR ON THE STATEN
ISLAND BRIDGE, VERY LOW VOLUME
PEOPLE ARE HEEDING THE
DIRECTIVE OF THE GOVERNOR, PASS
IS OPERATING NORMAL WEEKDAY
SERVICE 5 TO 10% OF NORMAL
WEEKDAY VOLUME.
THANK YOU, GOVERNOR.
ANY QUESTIONS?
[ REPORTER ASKING QUESTION ]
WE DON'T HAVE A TIME FRAME
SET WE HAVE SLEEPER TRAINS
RUNNING WITH MEN AND WOMEN
CLEARING PLATFORMS AND STAIRS
BUT AS YOU KNOW THERE IS SLEET
CONDITION WE ARE DEALING WITH
AS WELL.
ON METRO-NORTH YOU SAID THE
STORM LOOKS TO BE HITTING THE
HARDEST IN THE HUDSON VALLEY
REGION ANY CHANCE THOSE TRAINS
WILL GO THROUGH WESTCHESTER OR
PARTS OF SOUTHERN CONNECTICUT?
THAT IS CONFUSING FOR OUR
CUSTOMERS WE ARE BETTER OFF BY
TELLING PEOPLE TO GET TO THEIR
STATIONS, CHECK THE WEBSITE AND
CHECK THE TRAINING THEY NEED.
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE
IS PREDICTING MODERATE TO MAJOR
FLOODING ON THE SOUTH SHORE.
THAT IS ALWAYS A CONCERN.
WE HAVE BEEN THROUGH IT A
NUMBER OF TIMES.
WE ARE IN MUCH BETTER SHAPE FOR
FLOODING POST SANDY A LOT OF
THIS WE HAVE LEARNED THE HARD
WAY.
WE HAVE HAD MORE EXTREME
WEATHER CONDITIONS OVER THE
PAST FEW YEARS, THEN ALMOST ANY
PERIOD IN HISTORY.
HURRICANE SANDY TAUGHT US A LOT
ESPECIALLY ABOUT FLOODING, WE
HAVE DONE A LOT OF RESILIENCY
WORK, WE HAVE RAISED HOMES AND
BUILT SEAWALLS.
WE ARE PHYSICALLY BETTER
PREPARED FOR THAT SITUATION.
BUT, WE ARE ALSO EQUIPPED TO
DEAL WITH THE DAMAGE THAT MAY
COME, WE WILL KEEP OUR FINGERS
CROSSED WE DON'T KNOW WHAT THE
TITLE SURGE WILL BE.
IT IS SOMETHING THAT LONG
ISLAND DEALS WITH WHEN YOU LIVE
ON THE WATER THE GOOD NEWS YOU
LIVE ON THE WATER WITH A
BEAUTIFUL VIEW THE BAD NEWS
SOMETIMES THERE IS A STORM AND
YOU HAVE TO DEAL WITH IT.
BUT WE HAVE SEEN NOTHING YET.
OBVIOUSLY IT GOES WITH THE TITLE
OF THE CYCLE AND WE KEEP OUR
FINGERS CROSSED.
[ REPORTER ASKING QUESTION ]
WE ARE MONITORING THE
WEATHER AS CAREFULLY AS
POSSIBLE, THERE WAS SOME
AMBIGUITY IN THE FORECAST.
SO, WE WERE RESPONDING AS
QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE. YOU WANT
TO KEEP IT OPEN AS LONG AS
POSSIBLE.
RIGHT?
YOU WANT IT TO OPERATE AS LONG
AS IT CAN OPERATE SAFELY
BECAUSE, SOME PEOPLE NEED TO
GET SOMEWHERE AND, METRO-NORTH
IS BETTER THAN BEING ON THE
ROADS.
SO KEEP IT OPEN AS LONG AS YOU
CAN BUT DON'T PUT PEOPLE IN
DANGER.
AND THEN GIVE PEOPLE NOTICE SO
THEY CAN CHANGE THEIR PLANS AND

Gov. Andrew Cuomo Update On Storm

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