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Storm cleanup continues in New York

The state used tow plows to help clear the major roads
Alex Crichton
The state used tow plows to help clear the major roads

Highway crews are in cleanup mode Monday after a Thanksgiving weekend storm dumped several inches of snow across much of the state.

The Rochester and Buffalo regions were spared any significant snow, but Gov. Andrew Cuomo declared a state of emergency for seven counties: Ulster, Schenectady, Saratoga, Rensselaer, Green, Columbia and Albany.

"(The) declaration of state of emergency allows more flexibility for the state government working with the local governments, to make sure we can deploy resources where we need to deploy resources,"  he said Monday morning in Kingston, a city south of Albany.

Jordan Guerrein, a spokesman for the New York State Department of Transportation, said it was an all-hands-on-deck effort from the DOT, with two 12-hour shifts for operational staff.

And the cleanup continues.

"It's important for us to have our plows on the roads before, during and after a winter storm to ensure that we don't have any issues come the next storm," Guerrein said.  

Cuomo is calling on residents in the affected areas to stay off the roads and let state police and highway crews do their job safely.

"Being on the roads only complicates what they're trying to do," he said. "And we're all very grateful for what they're trying to do, and we don't want to aggravate the situation," he said.

Snowfall totals in New York since Sunday ranged from a few inches in western counties to more than a foot in the Albany area.