Governor Cuomo spent Sunday traveling from Long Island to the Adirondacks in an effort to inform New Yorkers of storm preparation and warning residents to use common sense and caution.
Cuomo made stops in New York City and Long Island, where the storm is predicted to hit the hardest. He also went to upstate areas in the Southern Tier, Mohawk Valley and Adirondacks that suffered during last year’s storms, Irene and Lee.
The Governor says 1100 National Guard troops have been deployed, and he’s monitoring utility companies in the event of power outages.
Cuomo says no one should panic, but the storm should not be taken “lightly.” He urges New Yorkers to be “prudent.”
“In truth, we don’t know,” said Cuomo. “We know there’s going to be a lot of rain and we know there are going to be very high winds.”
The governor says a “problematic” storm surge is expected in the New York City- Long Island region.
“Whatever it is, it is going to be very serious,” Cuomo said.
A state of emergency for all of New York has been in effect since Friday, people in low lying coastal areas have been evacuated, and many schools are closed.
The Governor is also warning motorists stay off the roads.
A Sunday night advisory from the National Hurricane Center was headlined:
Sandy expected to bring life-threatening storm surge flooding to the mid-Atlantic coast, including Long Island Sound and New York Harbor. Will bring coastal hurricane winds and heavy Appalachian snows.
The National Hurricane Center model has the eye of Hurricane Sandy tracking across the Pennsylvania/New York border in a northerly direction in the 24 hours from 8am Wednesday to 8am Thursday.
As of 8.00 pm EDT Sunday night, the National Hurricane Center map (Advisory #26A) is indicating that the hurricane's path has slightly altered from earlier advisors with the trajectory likely to track harder to the north-east, and with slightly lower wind speeds.
The center point of this screenshot on the Sandy tracker map built on data from the NHC has this narrative:
| Valid at: 2:00 PM EDT Wed October 31, 2012 |
| Location: 42.7 N, 76.8 W |
| Maximum Wind: 35 knots (40 mph) |
| Wind Gusts: 45 knots (50 mph) |
Further information about how the storm is likely to impact your immediate area is available from the National Weather Service, where you can see local information be entering your zipcode. At 7.34 pm Sunday the office governor Cuomo announced:
that President Obama has granted his request for a federal emergency declaration. “Once again, I thank the President for his quick response to my request for a federal emergency declaration which will apply to the entire State of New York. We appreciate the federal government’s support as we continue to prepare for Hurricane Sandy,” Governor Cuomo said. The declaration will enable the federal government to provide assistance and resources to New York State and local governments to support activities related to evacuation, sheltering, and other protective measures.
Reporting be Karen DeWitt: Capital Bureau Correspondent WXXI
