Governor Hochul: “What we know right now, this is a storm that must be taken very seriously. We're anticipating at least 18 inches of snow, but temperatures of zero degrees and colder wind chills, and winds of more than 70 miles per hour.”
Hochul: “If you have an elderly or medically vulnerable neighbor, friend, bring them in your house this weekend. We don't want you to have to wait until it's too late. If you're planning to buy groceries or get your chicken wings, buy them on Friday or even tonight.”
Earlier today, Governor Hochul released a video message to New Yorkers urging them to take precautions and prepare for a statewide extreme weather forecast set to impact the State this weekend.
VIDEO of the message is available on YouTube here and in TV quality (h.264, mp4) format here.
AUDIO of the Governor's video message is available here.
PHOTOS of the message are available on the Governor's Flickr page.
A rush transcript of the Governor's remarks is available below:
Good evening, New Yorkers. I want to take a moment to update you on a very serious weather event that we're anticipating for this weekend. Starting tomorrow, we're going to see a statewide weather event similar to what we just experienced on January 9th, a little bit less severe. Minor flooding potential in the Hudson Valley and the New York City areas. Moderate coastal flooding and beach erosion along the shores of New York City and Long Island where they're still experiencing some flooding, but also some very serious high wind gusts of up to 60 miles an hour off of Lake Erie and Lake Ontario that could cause more power outages. Right now, we still have about 17,000 New Yorkers without power from the earlier storm this week.
A lake effect snowstorm for Western New York and the Lake Ontario region is also approaching. This is set to hit on Saturday. Our high-tech analysis from our State Weather Risk Communication Center is being used to evaluate this forecast.
And here's why we're concerned. What we know right now, this is a storm that must be taken very seriously. We're anticipating at least 18 inches of snow, but temperatures of zero degrees and colder wind chills, and winds of more than 70 miles per hour. And while a foot and a half of snow may not sound like a lot to my fellow Western New Yorkers, remember this: The devastating blizzard of 1977 that your parents and grandparents talk about only had 12 inches of snow. It was the wind and the duration that made the event so severe.
So, we'll be monitoring the forecast. My entire team just gave me a briefing. I'm getting regular updates. I'll be monitoring this carefully over the next 24 hours. But I'm here to warn you in advance, please get ready and we're getting ready as well. We've coordinated all levels of government. We've called our county executives, our mayors, offered assistance already. Our town supervisors are being engaged. Most importantly, we're pre-positioning equipment along our state roads and the DOT highway barns are being filled with salt. Our thruway plows are ready as well. Just as importantly, I’ve activated 100 members of the National Guard, and we have over 11,000 utility crews standing on the ground ready to deal with any potential power outages.
And as everyone in Western New York knows, there's a big game on Sunday starting at one. We're working now to manage the traffic in Orchard Park, anticipating all the scenarios because we know a little bit of snow won't keep New Yorkers and Buffalo Bills fans away from the big game. So, I want everyone to take this seriously.
If you have an elderly or medically vulnerable neighbor, friend, bring them in your house this weekend. We don't want you to have to wait until it's too late. If you're planning to buy groceries or get your chicken wings, buy them on Friday or even tonight because we can't tell you what it's going to be like. The conditions and the wind blowing and the drifts could be very dangerous. So, get your shopping done on Friday so you're not going out in the storm.
Keep your car stocked with blankets and flashlights and other equipment if you do absolutely have to go out during this, but we urge you not to. I'll be heading home tomorrow to Western New York on Friday to make sure I'm there to monitor the storm with all my top leaders. From the Division of Homeland Security, DOT, Thruway Authority and the New York State Police, we'll all be on the ground. My top leadership team will be in Western New York throughout the weekend. We're doing everything in our power to keep our roads clear, our power running and our people safe.
One final bit of advice, and this one's for our friends who are thinking about traveling from Pittsburgh to watch the game, we think it's just better if you stay home and tune in on television. It'll be safer for all of us. It's going to be a rough game for you anyhow. So, stay tuned. We'll look forward to giving you more reports starting at noon tomorrow. But again, this is a major storm to take seriously, hitting the eastern side of New York beginning tomorrow, but into Saturday and Sunday, Western New York all the way up to Watertown will be hit hard once again, and I just want everyone to hear it from me first and be ready. Thank you.