B-Roll, Video, Audio, Photos & Rush Transcript: Governor Hochul Declares State of Emergency as Blizzard is Set to Hit Long Island, New York City and Lower Hudson Valley

Governor Kathy Hochul today declared a State of Emergency in Albany, Bronx, Columbia, Greene, Delaware, Dutchess, Kings, Nassau, New York, Orange, Putnam, Queens, Richmond, Rockland, Schenectady, Schoharie, Suffolk, Sullivan, Ulster, Westchester and contiguous counties, and activated the New York National Guard as a blizzard is forecast to hit the lower Hudson Valley, New York City and Long Island, and severe winter weather conditions are expected throughout the rest of the Hudson Valley. Forecasts rapidly worsened Friday night and now indicate 18 to 24 inches of snow with winds potentially gusting at over 60 mph for Long Island and New York City. The Hudson Valley is forecast to see 12 to 18 inches of snow, while the Capital Region could see eight to 12 inches. Other areas statewide will see totals from one to six inches of snow. These blizzard conditions will create extremely dangerous travel conditions, coastal flooding and the potential for power outages.

B-ROLL of the Governor touring the Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services’ snow and ice rescue vehicle is available to stream on Youtube here and TV quality is available here (h.264, mp4).

VIDEO: The event is available to stream on YouTube here and TV quality video is available here (h.264, mp4).

AUDIO: The Governor's remarks are available in audio form here.

PHOTOS: The Governor’s Flickr page will post photos of the event here.

A rush transcript of the Governor's remarks is available below:

Déjà vu all over again. Another brutal storm warning and a briefing we hope that many New Yorkers will listen to as we prepare for another descending cataclysmic weather event. It's time to brace for impact, New Yorkers. Two days ago we were expecting a run of the mill, just February storm, something we're used to handling, very accustomed to — just a little snow, maybe moderate disruption; really nothing to get too excited about. But over the last 24 hours, this forecast has shifted dramatically. And, once again, New York State is in the crosshairs of a very dangerous, fast moving, potentially life-threatening winter storm. And literally in the last hour, we received word that it's even worse than we expected, and it is a rapidly deteriorating situation.

So, fortunately we have the dream team, the team that knows all bad weather, but particularly we are well-versed in blizzards. And I want to thank Terry O'Leary, our Acting Commissioner of the New York State Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services, who I'll be calling on to give a more detailed report in a few minutes.

And of course, Marie Therese Dominguez, our Commissioner of the DOT, who has been at my side for many years as we've battled blizzards from Buffalo to Albany. And it's been a lot, but we are not rookies in this game. Steven James, our Superintendent of the State Police — our state police will be out there enforced to keep New Yorkers and motorists safe. And Major General Michel Natali of the New York State National Guard, Army National Guard, because I'll be making an announcement about what we're doing with the National Guard to help New Yorkers get through this.

So, here's the bad news: A blizzard is literally barreling down on Long Island, New York City and the Lower Hudson Valley, and is actually moving up further north than we had first thought. The initial reports concentrate on Nassau, Suffolk, Westchester, and, of course, the five boroughs. But now, it is also Rockland County, and Westchester, and heading up that is actually in the eye, the bullseye of this blizzard. It's the first blizzard warning for New York City since 2017; first for Long Island since 2022. And these are just the warnings.

This is a real blizzard that is going to be happening here. So I want to be clear for our neighbors on Long Island, this could be a historic storm, and the vulnerability is great. The possibility of flooding is significant, so we're encouraging people to vacate from those areas and be prepared for a very, very dangerous situation. Winter storm weather is expected throughout the rest of the Hudson Valley. Now, we're all New Yorkers, we think we can handle anything, but here's the bottom line — you need to hear this from me as someone who's been through more blizzards than any governor in the history of the State of New York. This is one to take seriously, and a blizzard can truly paralyze the entire region — not just the roadways, but the streets and transportation can grind to a halt.

But Downstate — we've dealt with this with Buffalo and elsewhere, but Downstate is so densely populated that when a blizzard hits and paralyzes an area, it's life-threatening because people need to know. They're not as accustomed to dealing with it, number one, but you can literally freeze to death outside or even in your home if the power goes down. So we'll talk about that. So first of all, we want you to heed our warnings, take all precautions, plan ahead.

And truly, truly, when this hits — it's likely starting at 6:00 a.m. Sunday morning — we are asking you to just stay home. Stay home. There's a nice diversion called the Olympics going on. There's an important hockey game, the U.S. versus Canada, I believe, around 8:00 a.m. So stay home, root for your team and stay safe.

So the storm is going to start at 6:00 a.m., but the blizzard conditions — where you do not want to be anywhere outside — won't start until the evening on Sunday. Now this will carry into Monday afternoon before the state finally conceives some relief by Monday evening. Here's the snow totals, which as I said, just went up about six or eight inches per area. New York City and Long Island, first forecasted to get a foot, we are now looking at 18 inches to 24. Let me help you with that — 24 inches is two feet.

Now we're talking serious snow and over such a short period of time. If that happens over a long weekend or period of days, it's not as threatening as it is when it happens with such ferocity, two to three inches an hour. That is why this is going to be a uniquely dangerous storm. Hudson Valley, 12 to 18 inches — significant amount of snow there. Capital Region, eight to 12; rest of state, two to six inches.

Now here's the other warning: It's not just nice snow falling down, it is going to be whipped up by the wind with gusts of up to 60 miles an hour. These can be hurricane force winds, and what that does — and take it from me, I've been in this situation — when the snow is falling, visibility is low already, but the wind whips it up. You cannot see the hand in front of you. And certainly on the roads, it is so, so, so dangerous. And the rest of the area, not just 60 miles an hour Downstate, but the rest of the area, 45 mile an hour winds as well.

Now, what also happens, not only life-threatening situations on our highways, but this is when the power lines come down. I've seen it many times, lived through it many times. So you get wet and heavy snow — it's a real risk for power outages and as well as, I mentioned, Long Island can see, and New York City and Southern Westchester can expect flooding.

So I'll tell you some things we're doing in mind. We're taking immediate action to protect our communities. I'm declaring a state of emergency for 22 counties across New York to begin tomorrow morning. I've already activated 100 members of the New York State National Guard. What are they for? Well, these are the people who might be able to get first responders to get out of their cars and get transported to a hospital — if it's a nurse or a doctor who has to get there, or our other first responders who are paralyzed, who need to get around. So they do an incredible job, and I'm so grateful to always have them at the ready to help their fellow New Yorkers. So they'll be staged across Long Island, New York City and in the lower Hudson Valley, and really ready to just jump in and support any areas where the most help is needed.

We'll also have 25 vehicles that support Downstate response operations and local partners. Now, speaking of vehicles, I want to point out something we have behind me. You have not seen this before because it's brand new. We just acquired this snow and ice rescue vehicle, and what it does is it's able to hold upward of 20 people. Imagine that this goes along the road. Look at this, this can go anywhere. Goes along the road, along the Thruway. Cars are stranded. I've seen this firsthand many times in Western New York, and they're able to pick up people who are stranded in their vehicles and transport 20 at a time. So I am sending this vehicle right to Long Island to be ready and positioned if we need help on the highways and byways Downstate. You won't be seeing this tomorrow because it'll be on its way to Long Island, but I'm grateful we have that capability now to support us.

So there'll be 25 other vehicles heading down. The Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services has already activated our State Emergency Operations Center, which I'm a frequent visitor in the wintertime, and I'll be over there to check in on how that is going — that'll be open before the storm starts.

And we've offered support to all impacted communities. Our team has either directly spoken to county leaders — I'll be making more calls again — but also just help offering full assistance from the State of New York. We are partners, we're experienced and we want to make sure we're a hand to you during these situations. I also spoke to Mayor Mamdani already to offer assistance. Our team's been in touch, as I said, with the leaders in all the neighboring counties, and also with their emergency managers.

We're also stockpiling extra equipment and emergency response personnel at the ready to be deployed. Now, DOT, Thruway Authority have more than 2,000 plows at the ready to clear the roads. We have over 5,800 utility workers across the area ready to respond and repair as soon as possible. This is, again, a situation you do not want to be in any longer than necessary. If the power goes out, you can't leave your home, the snow is piling up outside your door, the kids are crying — if I sound like I'm speaking from experience, I am.

And those who rely on mass transit. Now MTA is closely monitoring the storm and ready to make sure that the platforms and the stairs are salted, and all the equipment and infrastructure is ready to operate. But this is why if you expect to and hope to travel on our Downstate public transportation network over the next couple of days, you need to check and make sure that services are not being disrupted. We will know more specifically in the morning, so stay tuned to the MTA website as well.

Expect widespread flight cancellations. The airports Downstate will not be functioning anywhere near normal situation on Sunday and Monday, and probably lots of cancellations. So here's what I need New Yorkers to do: Just stay in tune — watch the forecast, watch the news, follow apps and make sure that you're up to speed on what is happening.

If there's any local warnings and advisory, for example, you need to know if you really do have to go out — and I encourage you not to — you need to know if there's a travel ban. You do not want to be pulled over and have to force our emergency personnel to try and get you off the road when they might be trying to save someone else's life. So just please be smart and make sure there's not a travel advisory or a complete ban on travel when you're heading out.

So make sure you follow those as well. Again, I would just — if you can stay home, and I have such respect for all the workers, the men and women of our teams that will be out there on the streets to keep you safe, certainly in all the counties. The emergency personnel, the police, the firefighters, the EMTs, everybody, the plow drivers — my gosh, those are our heroes in the winter time and I'm so grateful for all of them really going out there in the worst weather when others are sitting home. And I can't tell you how much this means to me that we have such a dedicated team of public servants.

So if you're able to work from home Monday, please communicate that to your — if you're an employer, please communicate to your employees now so they can have telework. If you have to be out there, make sure you have supplies in your vehicle: blankets, shovel, flashlight, extra batteries, food, water, even extra clothes. Make sure your cell phone is charged. I can't tell you how many people said they couldn't call for help because they hadn't charged their cell phone before they started traveling.

And, as I mentioned, those plow drivers — please give them lots of space. Their work is so hard. I've traveled with plow drivers, but I've been in the passenger seat. What they have to experience during a blinding snowstorm or blizzard with no visibility — they have to stay out there to keep the roads as clear as we can — and if you're getting close to them or cutting them off, you've just created a really dangerous situation. So please do not do that. So we know how to handle it, but we just need the room to work.

Alright, you've seen me give you tips on how to shovel snow. It hasn't changed, folks — not in the last month. You are at risk of a heart attack. This is real. It has happened to people I know. When you go outside and the snow is heavy and it's wet — and it weighs a lot more than it looks — and you dig down and you pick up a large amount of snow and you think you're fine and you're not. So shovel smaller amounts on the shovel, you don't need to be a hero, and start as early as you can so there's not a high accumulation. But keep the sidewalks as clear as you can so we don't have slip and fall. Check on your elderly neighbors. Make sure your pets, if they go outside, keep an eye on them. They can disappear in a snowbank, I know this.

Also stay inside as much as you can, as I mentioned. It should warm up a little bit, though. This has not seen to be the situation we had where it stayed cold for so many days and weeks afterward that the snow simply could not melt. So it is our hope — we wish this was not happening at all, but since it is that it can be cleared more quickly, and by the next weekend we're up to much balmier weather.

Last thing is: text 333111 with your county or borough name to receive the latest emergency updates — that is the quickest, easiest way to know what is going on. And, as I said, this is not new for us, but the impact is going to be very much extraordinary, out of the ordinary and something you need to take very seriously.

So we're giving you a warning here on Saturday. This is going to hit hard tomorrow and Monday, and then we'll get through it. So, New Yorkers, we know we’re tough, but the best advice I have for you this weekend is stay home and cheer on our Americans as we continue through the final days of the Olympics. So, go U.S.A. And let me turn it over to our Acting Commissioner of Homeland Security and Emergency Services, Terry O'Leary.

Thank you very much.