Rush Transcript: Governor Cuomo Holds Storm Briefing Call

A rush transcript of the call is available below:

Governor Cuomo: Thank you very much and as the operator said, I'm joined by the head of Emergency Management, Michael Kopy and Acting Superintendent of the State Police Corlett, who I am going to nominate to be the permanent Superintendent.

The worst of the storm is over. It was a vastly different experience in different parts of the state. It ranged from 20 inches of snow in some parts of the state to as little as two inches of snow. We spent days preparing for the incident. We had over 5,000 people who have been deployed. 2,000 pieces of equipment all across the state. That's without what the MTA has done and the Port Authority down in New York City. So It's been a major exercise for government and a major coordination exercise because the state government has worked with county and local governments all across the state. I'm going to turn it over to the head of Emergency Management to give you an update and then to the Superintendent. And then we'll take any questions you might have. Mr. Kopy, you want to take it from there?

Michael Kopy: Thank you, Governor. As you know, this was a complex winter storm that left a general 10-15 inches of snow upstate, with some areas of the Adirondacks reaching 20 inches of accumulation, followed by heavy rain in the south. The winter storm left approximately 8-16 inches in Western New York, 8-18 inches in the Finger Lakes. In Central New York, there were 9-17 inches. The Southern Tier received 6-12 inches. The Mohawk Valley 8-16 inches. The North Country 14-20 inches. The Capital Region 8-15 inches. And in the mid-Hudson received 1-6 inches.

We should be ready for gusty winds through tonight, which may lead to areas of blowing and drifting snow, resulting in reduced visibilities and snow covered roadways. Now, extremely cold air has swept across the state with wind chills of 25 to 35 below zero forecast upstate through Monday afternoon. This arctic blast is of significant concern in the lower Hudson Valley, where the dropping temperatures are likely to cause flash freezing on the roads. The good news is that the snow has begun to pass. At this time, I recommend lifting the travel ban for tractor trailers on Interstate 84 and the southbound lanes of Interstate 684. The tractor trailer ban will remain in place for other roads and we will continue to monitor the situation. New Yorkers should also expect to experience slippery road conditions, as well as blowing and drifting snow. The state Emergency Operations Center has been activated to level 3 and the state is working with local communities to keep our residents safe.

We are working with local utilities to respond to any outages. Currently, there are only approximately 1,000 customers without power statewide, with more than 310 of the outages centered in Dutchess and Kings counties. New York's utilities have over 5,000 workers and contractors available to respond to outages as they occur, including over 700 contractors obtained through mutual assistance. The Department expanded it's call center helpline beginning Sunday, January 20 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. to assist consumers in storm response and restoration efforts. The Department's call center helpline can be reached by calling 1-800-342-3377. The New York National Guard has activated an additional 100 serviced members, increasing the total of personnel available statewide as of noon today to 550. The soldiers remain prepared to provide assistance to local governments with 4-wheel drive vehicles if necessary.

At the Department of Transportation, nearly 3,900 operators and supervisors are deployed and responding to this snow and ice event. The DOT is ready to respond across the state with 1,609 large plow trucks in use, which includes 100 in reserves to deal with special situations which may occur across the state, 19 graders, 326 large loaders, 186 medium duty plows, 19 pickup trucks with plows, 39 snowblowers, and 31 tractor trailers. In addition, 30 heavy and light tow trucks are being staged across the state to help clear accidents quickly. More than 34,000 tons of salt have been used already to respond to the storm, with nearly 420,000 tons of salt still on hand. The Thruway Authority has 663 supervisors and operators in place operating 250 large snow plows, 129 medium snow plows, 11 tow plows and 58 loaders. They also have over 118,000 tons of road salt available. More than 180 DEC Environmental Conservation Police Officers, Forest Rangers, and Emergency Management staff, in addition to DEC Commissioner Seggos, his executive staff and regional directors are on alert and ready to deploy to communities impacted by heavy snow, freezing rain, and strong winds. All available assets, including 50 snowmobiles and operators, have been deployed to staging areas and are ready to assist with any emergency response.

Downstate, all Port Authority facilities remain vigilant in monitoring weather conditions today, including the potential for flooding and for ice that may develop tonight when the temperatures drop to near zero with wind chills below zero forecasted. Despite the shift in forecast to an all rain event, there still may be cancellations and delays at the airports today so it is recommended you check with your airline. The MTA is not experiencing any weather-related service interruptions. This includes New York City Transit, the Long Island Rail Road, Metro-North Railroad and MTA Bridges and Tunnels. Statewide, the Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services continues coordinating with state agencies and local governments to ensure resources from the state's ten regional stockpiles are available for deployment throughout the storm.

Thank you, Governor.

Governor Cuomo: Thank you very much, Mike. We'll now turn it over to the Superintendent of the New York State Police, Keith Corlett.

Acting Superintendent Corlett: Good afternoon, Governor. The New York State Police will continue with enhanced patrols in each of our troops and these additional patrols will be on the road throughout the duration of the storm and longer if needed. We will continue to focus these additional patrols on roadways that are more prone to impacts from severe winter weather. All of our four-wheel drive patrol vehicles are deployed, and all of our specialty vehicles, including snowmobiles and utility task vehicles are staged and are ready for immediate response statewide as needed, including along the New York State Thruway.

So far during this storm, troopers have handled more than 600 motor vehicle crashes, but thankfully there were no storm related fatalities. We have also issued 59 tickets for the tractor trailer ban for drivers for operating in violation of the truck and bus ban which has been in effect on most of the state's interstate highways. In one incident, a tractor trailer in violation of the ban rolled over during the travel ban, moved 200 feet of guide rail and promoted the closure of driving lane and the right shoulder of the Thruway for nearly three hours. There were no injuries, thankfully. That accident was an important reminder of the importance of adhering to the travel ban. We do take this very seriously. That's all I have, Governor.

Governor Cuomo: Thank you Superintendent. We will be lifting the travel ban for the tractor trailers and buses. As you heard from Mr. Kopy, 84 and 684 to the Southern part of the state. It will be in effect for the remainder of the state. We'll do an update at about 6:00 o'clock. I don't want New Yorkers to be misled. We're lifting the travel ban in the southern part of the state and, as you heard in the briefing, the worst of the storm is over. That does not mean the roads are clear and easy to navigate. I've driven over many of the highways and parkways this morning myself. I'm telling you, it is dangerous out there and the plows have done a very good job, but there is icing on the roadways. So, if you don't have to go out, you should not go out. We were expecting a significant storm and we have a significant storm. And the preparation is why we've made the progress we've made. But again, this is not a situation to take casually. When you put the road conditions together with the frigid temperatures, it is a bad, bad combination. So, it is still dangerous out and if you don't have to be out, don't be out.