Hurricane Sandy: New York Area Update

President Obama Approves Cuomo's Federal Emergency Declaration Request

Governor Andrew Cuomo today announced that President Obama has granted his request for a federal emergency declaration.

“Once again, I thank the President for his quick response to my request for a federal emergency declaration which will apply to the entire State of New York. We appreciate the federal government’s support as we continue to prepare for Hurricane Sandy,” said Cuomo.

The declaration will enable the federal government to provide assistance and resources to New York State and local governments to support activities related to evacuation, sheltering, and other protective measures.

The declaration will provide New York with technical assistance at no cost from any federal agency in support of the state’s response to Hurricane Sandy.

This includes areas such as debris management, logistics management and electric power generation.

The Department of Homeland Security, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), is authorized to provide appropriate assistance for required emergency measures, authorized under Title V of the Stafford Act, to save lives and to protect property and public health and safety, or to lessen or avert the threat of a catastrophe in the designated areas.

Specifically, FEMA is authorized to provide emergency protective measures (Category B), limited to direct federal assistance, under the Public Assistance program at 75 percent federal funding.

This assistance is for all counties in the State of New York.

Additional designations may be made at a later date after if requested by the state and warranted by the results of further evaluation.

Hurricane Sandy Hotline Activated  

New York State Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services (DHSES) Commissioner Jerome M. Hauer today announced that the state's Hurricane Sandy Helpline is operational for New York State residents in anticipation of the storm’s landfall.

Residents can call 1–888-769-7243 or 1-518-485-1159 for information about preparing for the hurricane and its impact.

Information will also be available for referrals to County Emergency Management Offices and American Red Cross Shelters and road closures. Language translation services are also available by request.

Past Contact Center emergency call experience includes the Haitian Earthquake relief, the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 and the Lake Champlain Bridge closure.

“As part of our overall plan to prepare for Hurricane Sandy, we have set up this helpline to ensure that state residents will receive accurate and reliable information during the storm and its aftermath," Commissioner Hauer stated,

“In addition, I encourage residents to monitor television, radio and social media for the latest storm updates and related instructions."

Residents in certain areas can also call 2-1-1, where United Way 2-1-1 operators will provide information on shelters, local assistance center locations, mental health resources, and food banks.  

State focus for 2-1-1 for this incident is to collect and maintain information on offers of assistance, donations and those wishing to volunteer. 

2-1-1 Hours of Operation:   

New York City, Finger Lakes (including Tompkins, & Bath partner sites) 24 hours a day

Western New York - serving Hudson Valley, the Adirondacks, the Capital Region and Long Island) hours are from 9am – 7pm

Susquehanna River Region – hours are from 8:30pm – 4pm

2-1-1 does not operate in most of Central New York.

Updates via cellphone and computer are also available from NY ALERT, New York State’s All-Hazards Alert and Notification System.

NY ALERT is a free, web-based portal that allows State agencies, county and local governments, emergency service agencies and institutions of higher learning to provide emergency alerting information and private notifications to a defined audience (local, county, regional or statewide).

If you wish to receive emergency information, you can register on the NY-ALERT website at www.nyalert.gov.  Your email address will be your identifier. If you do not have access to the web, you may still sign up for NY-ALERT by calling 1-888-697-6972.