Video, Audio, Photos & Rush Transcript: Governor Cuomo Holds Storm Briefing in Utica

Earlier today, Governor Andrew M. Cuomo held a briefing in Utica with state and local officials to outline the state's preparations for winter storm Harper. Governor Cuomo provided an update on the ongoing winter weather affecting communities statewide. As a large system forecasted to bring up to two feet of snow in some locations moves into the state this afternoon, the Governor has directed the State's Emergency Operation Center to raise their activation to level 3. Yesterday, the Governor directed the New York State Department of Transportation and the Thruway Authority to ban tractor-trailers and buses on the entire Thruway system, with the exception of I-95 in Westchester and Bronx counties, and most interstate highways starting at 3 p.m. today and lasting through the storm. Earlier this week, the Governor directed state agencies to conduct a number of preparatory measures, including the pre-deployment of critical assets, as well as the activation of both the State Emergency Operations Center and 450 members of the National Guard to assist with state storm response missions. Those measures all remain in effect. More information on the state's proactive preparedness efforts can be found here.

Good afternoon. First, let me thank all my colleagues for being here. You'll hear in a moment from County Executive Anthony Picente, you'll hear from Mayor Rob Palmieri. We're also being joined by a loud noise on the right, and Rome Mayor Jackie Izzo, Mayor of Whitesboro Robert Friedlander. We have Assemblymember Marianne Buttenschon, and Senator Joe Griffo, Congressman Anthony Brindisi is going to be with us. We have the Executive Director of the New York State Thruway Authority Matt Driscoll and we're very grateful that he's here. Commissioner RoAnn Destito is here. So, we have all the resources that we can have and we've been preparing and we've been coordinating for the storm, as everybody knows, that is on its way.

There are two complications with this storm. The first is there's a significant amount of snowfall that is forecast, 18-20 inches in that range. Forecasts, as we've learned, vary somewhat but a significant amount of snow. On top of that a very high level of wind. On top of that, the temperatures are going to drop significantly; it could go as low as minus 15 with the wind chill factor. You put those three elements together and it's a dangerous situation and that's what we are looking for and that's what we are preparing for. The Second complication is this is a statewide storm. Normally when we have an extreme weather event it's isolated in one region of the state, or two regions of the state and then we have the advantage of deploying assets from all across the state to that region. In this situation it will be a statewide storm, worse in some areas and a little better in other areas, but it's going to be a problem all across the state. So, we don't have the advantage of then deploying assets from other parts of the state to any particular region.

You know, in the past we've brought equipment down from the North Country, we've brought equipment from Buffalo to Utica, from Long Island to Utica. So this is a more problematic situation for us to manage, but we've been preparing for it. The state has more equipment than it has ever had, because we've learned the hard way. We have more personnel; there will be about 5,000 state personnel who will be deployed to do the storm management. There will be several thousand pieces of equipment from the Department of Transportation, Thruway Authority. The emergency management operation has been fully engaged and we're working hand in glove with the county and the city and that's very important.

You know, governmental coordination they talk about all the time, it's a nice concept. But in the past, it's been an oxymoron, governmental coordination, but not in this case. We have a great working relationship with County Executive Picente, Mayor Palmieri, Mayor Izzo. So, we're deploying all those personnel and all that equipment in a coordinated fashion, which makes this situation better. We also took the added precaution of doing a tractor-trailer ban, bus ban, which we notified the companies much earlier on all of the interstates, that goes into effect at 3:00pm today. I think that's going to be an advantage, especially with the high wind, all you need is one tractor-trailer to jack knife and it can close a road for hours. So, we are ready, we've done everything that we can possibly do to get ready. We'll stay fully engaged until the storm has passed and we'll keep coordinated until the storm is passed. I would ask cooperation and help from the people of the state. It's a holiday weekend, luckily. People don't have to go to work, and if you don't have to be on the road you shouldn't be on the road. It's a danger to yourselves and it's a danger to others.

You know you have men and women who are going to be working all around the clock tonight to try to keep the roads clean. You'll have troopers deployed, you'll have the Department of Transportation people, you'll have plow drivers all out to keep people safe. We don't want to make more work for them. One or two cars get stuck on a road and now we have a major problem. So, I know New Yorkers believe they can handle anything and we can, but at the end of the day Mother Nature still wins. So, if you don't have to go out, don't go out. We don't want to send emergency crews to help an individual and we don't want to see one or two cars actually backing up the situation. But we have been through worse before and we will get through this. It will be a rough couple of days and again the wind chill, when you're talking about minus 5, minus 10, minus 15-degree wind chill that is serious, and that's a health and safety risk. So, diligence and caution by all.

I want to thank in advance the men and women who are going to be working over the next 48 or so hours, because it is going to be tough out there and we're lucky to have them and we thank them very much for their effort and for their expertise. What they do is very important and it is also very hard. And I want to thank County Executive Picente, Mayor Palmieri and all the local officials very much, and their teams for their coordination and working together as one so we're doing everything we can to serve the people of this state and keep them safe, because that's what the job is all about at the end of the day.