Gov. Kathy Hochul on Tuesday evening declared a statewide state of emergency after severe weather continues to cause damage throughout New York.
This includes the city of Rome, which saw a radar-confirmed tornado touch down Tuesday afternoon.
The New York State Parks, Recreation & Historic Preservation Department is assembling sawyer crews to Oneida County to assist with clean-up efforts.
“With possible tornado touchdowns across the state, we are standing ready to assist localities however necessary as severe weather continues to move across the state,” Hochul said in a statement. “New Yorkers should be sure to monitor their local forecasts and prepare for hazardous travel and other impacts from these storms.”
The governor's office also cited severe damage due to high winds and storms in Madison County.
The New York State Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services has activated the State Emergency Operations Center to enhanced monitoring mode in an effort to track the storms in real-time and support local governments’ requests for assistance. The Fire Operations Center and Incident Management Team will also deploy crews. The state's swift water rescue teams, New York State Police, and several other agencies are also assisting where necessary.
The New York State Department of Transportation has the following assets available to assist:
- Large dump trucks – 1,410
- Large loaders – 314
- Grapple attachments – 50
- Vac truck with sewer jet – 15
- Tracked excavators – 39
- Wheeled excavators – 43
- Water pumps (4”-6”) – 32
- Tractor trailers – 61
- Chippers (10” or greater) – 92
- Traffic signal truck – 30
- Tree crew bucket truck - 13
As of 9 p.m. Tuesday, state officials say more than 170,000 customers in upstate New York, particularly in Central New York, Mohawk Valley and the Southern Tier, were without power.
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