Governor Hochul: “I have already deployed 50 National Guard people to be in position to be able to help, whether it's sandbagging, whether there's any rescue necessary, whatever purpose they may be needed. So, I wanted to let the public know we were already anticipating the worst and hoping for the best in sending those individuals out there. We also know that this is supposed to run for the next couple of days. I've directed literally every state agency to be involved.”
Hochul: “It may just be riptides along the coast, but again, we have to prepare and anticipate a more devastating circumstance should it change its course or its intensity as the week unfolds.”
Earlier today, Governor Kathy Hochul announced the deployment of 50 soldiers from the New York National Guard to begin preparations on Long Island as Hurricane Lee continues to move northwest and strengthen in the Atlantic Ocean. The deployment comes as state agencies prepare for a hurricane that could cause dangerous high surf, rip currents, coastal flooding, and beach erosion along parts of the east coast later this week as it moves north. While the final path of the storm is still unclear, Governor Hochul is urging New Yorkers to closely monitor the storm’s development this week and ensure they are taking the appropriate steps to keep their households safe, if it ends up impacting New York State.
VIDEO of the event is available on YouTube here and in TV quality (h.264, mp4) format here.
AUDIO of the event is available here.
A rush transcript of the Governor's remarks is available below:
But first, before we get started, I want to say a couple of things about the impending Hurricane Lee. Let's talk about that. I want to give an update on New York State's preparation, in anticipation of what could be a Category 3 storm hitting our coastline, especially Long Island, which is very vulnerable right now.
Therefore, in anticipation of the storm hitting perhaps over this weekend, although that is not exactly - it's a little bit early to be precise on that - but I have already deployed 50 National Guard people to be in position to be able to help, whether it's sandbagging, whether there's any rescue necessary, whatever purpose they may be needed.
I wanted to let the public know we were already anticipating the worst and hoping for the best in sending those individuals out there. We also know that this is supposed to run for the next couple of days. I've directed literally every state agency to be involved. Our Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Services has set up a Storm Watch Center, and they're monitoring all the conditions closely.
We have over 4,000 DOT and Thruway operators ready to respond in any way to assist as well. Public Service, just so you know, we have over 5,500 members of utility crews ready to step in in the event that power lines come down in the aftermath of the storm, ready to assess and repair any damage. So, Department of Public Service will be involved in that as well. The MTA is going to be monitoring conditions very closely on public transportation to see if there are any changes based on the severity of the storm. It may just be riptides along the coast, but again, we have to prepare and anticipate a more devastating circumstance should it change its course or its intensity as the week unfolds. So, that is our report on our preparations for Hurricane Lee.