New York Governor Andrew M. Cuomo has urged residents to stay indoors unless absolutely necessary in an emergency statement issued yesterday. He made the request as temperatures in the north-eastern parts of New York state dropped as low as -40 degrees with wind chill.
In his statement, Governor Cuomo said, “I am urging New Yorkers to refrain from going outside over the next couple days unless absolutely necessary.”
In the detailed statement, Governor Cuomo outlined the impact of the storm so far. He confirmed that 1,025 people were currently without power across the state and explained the work being done by power companies to resolve this and other issues people were facing.
He also gave an overview of the additional public sector workers who have been drafted in, despite the government shutdown, to help keep New York running. These included workers from New York’s Division of Military and Naval Affairs, the Department of Public Service, and the Department of Environmental Conservation.
The statement also contained advice to people on how to stay safe in the extreme cold weather. Suggestions included wearing layers of clothes, always wearing a hat, and covering your mouth with a scarf when outside to protect your lungs from the extremely cold air.
He also advised New Yorkers to hold back on any physical activity and watch out for signs of frostbite and hypothermia.
“Once again Mother Nature has tested New York, and our preparation for this storm is why we’ve made the progress we’ve made,” he sad in the statement. “While conditions have improved enough to lift the travel ban for tractor-trailers and buses on portions of the Thruway, we continue to monitor the frigid temperatures moving across the state.”
Governor Cuomo reiterated the request on his official Twitter account while also linked to his statement.
The Daily Mail reports that the frozen conditions are affecting the Lower Hudson Valley area in particular. Here, flash freezing on the roads is expected to make conditions especially hazardous for traffic.
Meanwhile, in the Adirondacks, there has been 20 inches of snowfall, while many areas of upstate New York have also seen between 10 and 15 inches of snow on the ground. Snow continues to fall and strong winds which the storm has also brought to many areas, are blowing the snow around and making visibility extremely poor.
The New York Dail;y News quotes National Weather Service meteorologist Jim Engle as saying overnight lows last night would fall to around 10 degrees. But he claimed the coldest part of the day would be 5am to 11am, with temperatures falling to 9 degrees and wind chill making it fell well below zero.
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