At a press conference in Putnam Valley on Wednesday, Cuomo issued the state of emergency for Putnam, Dutchess, Orange and Sullivan Counties, including the deployment of 125 members of the New York National Guard to assist local communities with recovery efforts.
According to Cuomo, “thousands of state and local personnel are already working hand in hand with pre-deployed equipment to clear transportation corridors of debris and assess damage throughout the affected areas.”
A travel advisory has also been put into effect for the Wednesday evening commute in order to allow recovery workers to do their jobs safely.
While in Putnam Valley, where he was joined by Putnam County Executive MaryEllen Odell, Cuomo surveyed damage to a home and conducted a press conference. You can see a video of the press conference here.
Several roads throughout the Hudson Valley remain closed as crews attempt to remove downed trees, power lines and debris in roadways. The New York State Department of Transportation has employed 75 excavators, four bulldozers, 20 graders, 17 vacuum trucks with sewer jets, 12 water pumps, 1,441 large dump trucks, 318 large loaders, 15 tree crew bucket trucks, 79 chippers, 57 traffic signal trucks, and 13 water tankers to assist with worker’s efforts, Cuomo said.
"New York has once again withstood the fury of Mother Nature and now is the time for the state and our local partners to get communities throughout the Mid-Hudson region up and running again," Cuomo said. "Driving and accessing roadways may still be difficult and I encourage all drivers to stay off the roads in order for our crews to get our roadways clear and safe as soon as possible."
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