President Joe Biden has approved New York Governor Kathy Hochul’s request for a federal emergency declaration as a result of the historic winter storm that continues to impact the Western ad North Country regions of the state. The storm brought blizzard-like conditions, sustained wind gusts of more than 60 miles per hour, and temperatures well below freezing through the holiday weekend.
The federal emergency declaration covers Erie and Genesee counties and will provide federal assistance to support ongoing response and recovery operations.
Prior to the arrival of the storm last Thursday evening, Hochul declared a state of emergency for the entire state, which remains in place.
The state’s emergency response agencies have deployed equipment and personnel to coordinate with and support local governments in impacted regions.
Hochul deployed an additional 220 National Guard soldiers to the Western New York region, bringing the total of deployments to approximately 430.
State and local officials are continuing to urge New Yorkers to avoid travel in the impacted areas of Erie County, as well as in areas in the North Country experiencing similar conditions near Watertown. A travel ban remains in effect for most of Erie County and there are multiple state highway closures in place in Western New York; and the New York State Thruway (I-90) between Exit 45 (Rochester) and Pennsylvania border is closed to all traffic.
The Associated Press reported that two people died in their homes in Cheektowaga on Friday ad Erie County reported that 10 more people died there during the storm, including six in Buffalo.
Extreme Cold, Travel Chaos to Continue Into This Week
Heavy snow is expected to continue to impact areas off Lake Ontario and Lake Erie this week. Another one to two feet of snow is expected east of Lake Ontario through Tuesday, with snowfall rates of three inches per hour on Monday. The Buffalo area is expected to receive up to an additional foot of snow over the next few days, before temperatures rise later this week and through the weekend.
Photo: Queens, N.Y. – Governor Kathy Hochul (in blue jacket) holds a storm briefing and surveys storm damage in the Rockaways area of Queens. (Darren McGee/Office of Governor Kathy Hochul)
Topics New York
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