Gov. Andrew Cuomo, D-NY, toured the small lakeside hamlet of Olcott in Niagara County Wednesday and promised state assistance in the coming days.

• New York offers resources to Lake Ontario communities preparing for flooding
• The governor said the International Joint Commission isn't doing a good job regulating water levels
• The state could start discussing investment in long-term infrastructure solutions on the lake

The state said it will help with pumping water, shoreline reinforcement and provide inflatable dams.

"Our motto was always ‘hope for the best but prepare for the worst,’ and we know what the worst can look like in this situation," Cuomo said.

The flooding for the most part hasn't come yet but Lake Ontario is at similar historic levels as two years ago. Parts of this community are still rebuilding from the devastating impact.

"We were hoping it wouldn't happen again, but I think we're a lot more prepared," Newfane Town Supervisor Timothy Horanburg, R, said.

The state is preemptively meeting Thursday with the International Joint Committee, which regulates outflows for all the great lakes.

"We've had an ongoing dialogue, not always the most polite or happy dialogue," the governor said.

He said he understands the delicate balancing act the IJC must perform, but too often New York is shouldering too much of the burden.
 
"The IJC says, 'well there's nothing they can do because there's flooding in Canada,' there's flooding in other places, but this is not a sustainable situation," Cuomo said. "It's just not. We can't go through this every year and the IJC has to find a better way to manage the water. Period. That is their job."

At the same time, the governor talked about a new weather reality. He said he believes issues like this will happen again in the future and he says the state needs to start looking at long-term construction investments.

"Rather than spend $100 million rebuilding after an emergency, I'd rather spend that money building a new infrastructure with a new design so we don't have the damage in the first place. That's a larger undertaking but it's a smarter investment for us long-term and something we have to start work towards together," Cuomo said.

The one positive this year, he said, is former state Assemblywoman Jane Corwin was named to the IJC.

"She is very well aware of this situation," the governor said. "She has dealt with it when she was in the Legislature. She's from Western New York. So that is the only good news for the  IJC as far as I'm concerned is we actually have a New  Yorker who has lived through this and understands the problem."

However, Corwin and two other American nominees have yet to be confirmed by the U.S. Senate and so far there's no timeline for when that might happen. The governor said there's not much he can do to expedite it.

"I wouldn't say I have a lot of sway with the federal government," Cuomo said.

Rep. Chris Collins, R-NY-27, who recommended Corwin to the commission, again wrote a letter to Senate leadership asking for confirmations as quickly as possible. Minority Leader Charles Schumer's office said he continues to support the nominees but has no control over the schedule.

Schumer did announce the Army Corps of Engineers today issued an emergency declaration, which will allow them to act quicker should there be a 2017 repeat.