Video, Audio, Photos & Rush Transcript: Governor Hochul Holds Storm Briefing

Good morning, everyone. I just wanted to take a minute to give an update on the Nor'easter we're experiencing in real time and with me I've assembled the individuals who I have the utmost confidence in who've taken the necessary steps proactively. We talked about this yesterday at our event on Long Island at the DOT facility to talk about preparations, but now we're in the throughs on this Nor'easter and it is a serious one. It is a classic Nor'easter and the individuals I'm going to introduce, Jackie Bray our Commissioner of the Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Services, very engaged. I want to thank her for everything she is doing including constant outreach with our partners. We'll talk about that in a couple of minutes. Kathryn Garcia, no stranger to major storms in big urban areas, our head of statewide operations. And also, Janno Lieber, the Chair and CEO of the MTA, will give you an update and I understand that things are looking very good and get credit for that because if it doesn't, they blame you. So enjoy that, Janno, I know you had a very good experience. He just told me he was coming down and giving people directions on the subway, so he's a real hands-on leader and I appreciate that. Also, from the epicenter, Long Island, we'll be Zooming in very shortly our commissioner of DOT, an incredible leader, as well, and I want to thank Commissioner Dominguez, the leader of the DOT. So, you'll be hearing from her shortly.

Let's see what we're looking at right now. This is a very serious storm, very serious. We've been preparing for this. This could be life threatening and we wanted to make sure we took all the steps we believed were necessary, including starting with a declaration of a state of emergency, a state of emergency, early on in the process. Yesterday we announced it would be going into effect at 8 p.m. yesterday. That allowed us time for the DOT to deploy their trucks, bring in the Thruway Authority, all the plows we were bringing in from other parts of the state, you'll get more details on that momentarily. But also, the utility workers. Because, we've seen from past storms, this is a huge point of vulnerability. You do not want to be in the middle of a storm and then start calling in utility workers to be on the ground to start doing the repairs so we can restore power. They need to be deployed and on the ground ready to take action the second the limbs come down and bring down the wires, or whatever circumstance has because when the weather gets this cold, that is when the dangerousness sets in. You cannot have people in their homes without heat for any length of time and that is the dangerous part of what we're concerned about, why we wanted to reach out to the utilities, make sure that they're on the ground, and we've received the word that they are.

So, we are responding quickly and urgently, and because I mentioned it's a classic Nor'easter, the snow is on track in terms of volume, and this is what you keep track of how much is predicted overall, how much per hour because that is going to show you the severity. Couple that with the wind velocity because that is what causes white out conditions. But, as much as we're happy that it's a Saturday - very happy it's a Saturday, we don't have our normal rush hour commutes, we had anticipated based on the projections and what was forecast, that we'd be seeing the brunt of this during the late-night hours from about midnight to about 8 a.m. This storm lingered, we're still getting the same amount of volume, the same effect. As everyone knows, we are dealing with this in live time right now as opposed to being in a cleanup mode which is what we had hoped for.

We're going to see some peaks now. It's continuing to pick up on Long Island, as you know, Hudson Valley as well as New York City. But it's high winds, heavy snow, blizzard conditions. All the elements of a classic Nor'easter so that's what we're dealing with right now.

Our latest storm projections show that Nassau and Suffolk are being hit the hardest. As of 9:30 a.m. they had about 7 to 11 inches. That is going to continue until about 6 p.m. I want to make sure everyone understands this. Even though there might be a little break, we start seeing a little clearing, don't be misled by that. There could be a gust of wind that creates white out conditions while you're out in the store getting that last gallon of milk you wanted to get. Hopefully everybody gets these in advance, this is not a time to be out there shopping. But the good news is that we know the timing of this and it will abate over the next few hours, new few days for sure when clean up starts. So, this should not be a sustained storm as I've seen in my experience where I lived where it sits over you for days and days and keeps accumulating. That does make it very challenging to get the groceries or whatever you need from the store. People just need to hold on, just wait a little bit longer, and we're still expecting another 5-12 inches on Long Island until about 6:00 tonight.

New York City, a little less, but still given the density of people parking on the thoroughfares, on the roads in the communities, it makes it very complicated for the plows to get out there. That's why we see problems. 4 inches so far, another 4-7, and that should start abating around 3 p.m. so, that is an earlier termination expected time than we're seeing on Long Island. Dutchess, Rockland, Westchester, 2-4 inches, about another 1-5 to come. So, that's what we're looking at and, again, it should not be continuing into tomorrow, which is exceptionally good news as well.

I mentioned all those counties, I've been in touch with all of them, personally or left voicemails. My team has been in nonstop communication with Long Island to find out what we can do to help you as you deploy your assets, what we can do to be right at your side. So we've had very good communications. Also, I just spoke with Mayor Adams to find out if they need anything in the city of New York. All's good so far. I did offer to give him some snow shoveling tips, as well, because you don't shovel snow with your back, you shovel with your knees. You need to get down and make sure you're putting all the weight on your knees and not your lower back as someone who deals with that, personally. So, I spoke to them, we offer all the support they need, and that's where good collaboration and relationships with our neighboring counties, Nassau, Suffolk, Dutchess, Rockland, Westchester, and the five boroughs comes into play. So, we're ready to be there for them and advance anything they need.

Also, we'll be hearing from Commissioners Bray and Dominguez about getting our roads cleared. This is critically important. Please do your part. When you are home, you are safer, but also it's safer for our men and women who are driving the plows. It is a challenge for them to do this. They have limited visibility, they are huge, they have major blades. They have to have eyes between every part of their body including look backwards. They have to be able to see what's going on around them, make sure no one's in their way, so please do your part. If you have to be on the roads, which we discourage for the next few hours, but if you are there, please watch out for these drivers. They're doing their very best. Everything they're doing is for you and your safety. So, please, let's help them and don't crowd them as well. Again, please keep your eyes open for these plows. We're saying - this was posted even before the snow hit, we are so advance. This picture has actually grass. That's extraordinary. Even before, we were saying to people avoid the travel. This is the paramount lesson. I do believe most people listen, we do see people out on the roads, but we're not seeing the tie ups and the problems that we've seen, as I mentioned yesterday, like we saw in places like Virginia not that long ago when people were on a major thoroughfare, 95, jammed up, people literally trapped in their vehicles. And this has happened not just in Virginia, it's happened all across our state. When people do not have the warnings and listen to advice to stay home.

I want to thank New Yorkers who sacrificed their travel and have stayed home. It's a good time to just hang out. That's another whole topic, we can get into that later, but I just wanted to say it's still very dangerous out there. These are dangerous weather conditions and that's why we're reminding people to avoid travel at all costs.

Some of our travel tips. As I mentioned, shoveling, you're talking to the expert now. This is something I've done all my life, especially when we were little kids and my parents would say when you're done doing our own driveway, go next door and do the elderly neighbor's and then when they're done go on and do the other neighbor's. So, I would spend, it seems like, my entire childhood during the winter months out there shoveling to help out neighbors. I'm encouraging young, healthy people and everybody else to look out for their neighbors. Just do it with a smile on your face and they'll be so grateful. It's good to get some fresh air if you're younger.

If you're a little bit older, I've actually had a neighbor have a heart attack while shoveling the snow, so be very careful. There is a risk of overexertion for people who are not accustomed to doing it and we're not that accustomed here and downstate. I know that, so there is a risk of heart attack. If you feel chest pain, stop and get some help immediately. That is what we've seen is a consequence when people are out there shoveling snow. Again, watch out for your backs. Shovel bending your knees, that's the best way to do it.

Also, if you have to drive, this should be in your vehicle all winter long, but if you've not taken these steps, take a look at what we think you should have. The water, the snacks, spare tire, jumper cables, food, fully charged cell phone. Yes, how about that. Making sure you're ready to call for help if necessary. A full tank of gas. Critically important because that can be a lifesaver for people who end up getting stranded because we're not out of this yet. We warned about this yesterday. We're in the throes of the most dangerous part as we speak. We want to make sure everyone understands that. If you have to pull over, your car breaks down and you have to pull over, stay in your vehicle. There are cases of individuals leaving their vehicles, other cars, motorists, don't see them because of the blinding conditions and that is very dangerous as well. So, make sure you're ready. Keep that bag of sand or kitty litter in your trunk. You use that if you're stuck. I could give a whole tutorial on this, but we won't take the time now. This is something I know very well.

If you're at home, we want you at home, but you are also - we're keeping an eye on whether there's any powerlines coming down that could result in the stoppage of your power coming through which means the lights go out and the power goes out and it gets cold quickly. Make sure all of your flashlights have batteries. Check in on your neighbors. Again, while you're home, enjoy the time. I can give more recommendations on my favorite digital content. I forgot to say, yesterday, I also love Ted Lasso if anyone wants fun recommendations on things to watch.

But again, I know we spent a lot of time with our families during the pandemic and had that special bonding and now you want to get back to that feeling of being together with your kids and your family members. So, take the time, enjoy, watch some football, do some cooking. Please stay off the roads because it makes it so much easier for all of us involved in the clean up, so let's make sure everyone's safe.

Again, if you are outside, and I've seen a lot of people out there, jogging. A person was on television jogging around Central Park. And that's fine, people dress really warm. I did hear one gentleman say, he was up from Virginia, say how great it was that he had to wear a mask because it kept his face warmer. Just an observation there. But, hypothermia can set in, it is real, even in temperatures as high as 40 degrees if you are wet or sweaty from shoveling. So, be aware of the symptoms. Confusion, shivering, difficulty speaking, and all of the sudden you say it's not safe out here. Please be aware of that, as well. For your kids, too. If you let the kids go out and play make sure they dress warm and stay close so they can come in. But it's probably not the best day to do that. I would recommend that play occur within the next couple of days, but this is not the time to be outdoors at all.

At this point, I'd like to pass it on to our commissioners. Commissioner Bray and then Dominguez to talk about our response. Then we'll hear from Janno Lieber on how the MTA is doing. I think it's going to be a good report, but Janno's always checking to make sure there's not a last-minute change. But you'll get real time information on the status of our subways and our buses. But right now I do want to congratulate and commend all of the individuals involved in this infrastructure which is a lifeline of the city and Long Island and the neighboring counties. We have to keep that going, we know it's important, we'll do it in a safe way that makes sure that people and the employees get to their destinations safely and on time as they can during the blizzard.

Commissioner Bray.

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And that is something I want to put an exclamation point on, just because the snow stops doesn't mean life gets back to normal. That's when the true cleanup is going to continue, and that's when we need just a little more time to take care of the roads safely. And again, we all know everyone knows to do that, so let's see if we can follow that. And again, our windshields, as I mentioned, this is what is the dangerousness we're talking about.

We're expecting temperatures in the single digits tonight into tomorrow morning. And this is when frostbite kicks in, look at how serious that can be. So, we are trying to remind everybody take this very seriously. And also one of the consequences I mentioned earlier is that you get the, the lines that come down, you end up with that situation where there's dangerous power lines on the ground, or else in your home you've lost the power.

Right now, as of at least 10:00 AM we had about 424 homes in the state of New York without power. That is minimal. That is very good at this point, but we're not out of this yet. And so we're expecting that to actually go up as the winds pick up this afternoon and we'll restore power. We'll be working with utility crews and making sure that they have whatever they need from us to do their jobs. But again, it was about deploying people on the ground right away. So here's some recommendations to protect yourself during a power outage. And how to keep everything safe for you and your family members.

Again, checking on your neighbors is really important. So, so as long as we're giving our forecast and weather reports, let's talk about the winter surge of the pandemic and it is still going on. And that's why one of my first questions this morning is what's happening in the hospitals? Because we have a lot of patients, places like Long Island, downstate here as well, where there are people in hospitals being treated for many elements, but COVID in particular.

And I wanted to make sure that the healthcare workers could get to their jobs. And the report is as we've checked in with all the hospitals that they are in a very good place. And that was important to me, recognizing the confluence of factors - dealing with the pandemic that is still persistent, but dramatically improving, as well as we're dealing with a nor'easter. So statewide positives, take a look at that. That is a beautiful sight, down from 90,000 cases just earlier this month. And now down to 12,000 cases, which again, a few months ago we would have thought was incredibly high, but I'm putting the perspective of what we just came through.

And we've done about 215,000 tests or 215,254 tests. But what you've seen in those positives is an 86% drop in three weeks. That is fantastic news. And our hospitalizations have dropped about 39% in just two and a half weeks. And we've just lost, you know, more people down, another 500 have been discharged from the hospitals over the last 24 hours.

And again, our single day positivity 5.73%. And so we are absolutely trending in the place we've been wanting to get to for so long. And if we continue with that statewide, our day average has always been a little bit higher, but that's about 7% New York city, 5%. Long Island, 8.6%. And we still have lost a number of our fellow new Yorkers, 125 individuals.

And so again, put that in perspective, just a couple of months ago, we were talking about still people passing away because of the pandemic, but it was 22, 24, 25. So this is again, we talk about a lagging indicator. This eventually will go in the same direction as the cases and the hospitalization, but there's still a lot of people sick in the hospitals. And we want to keep all of the people and the families, members of those we've lost in our prayers.

So, hospitals are open. We're getting through this and we know what to do. We know how to handle this. We're ready, we're prepared. And there's no group of people more resilient anywhere in this country than New York. So let's be smart, let's be safe, and then we'll get through this together as we always have. So thank you very much.