The town declared a state of emergency Tuesday at 2:00 p.m., citing an increasing level of water on its Gull River which flows directly through the town and more rainy, warmer weather forecasted for the next five to ten days.
"This recognition is a testament to the talent, dedication, and 'can-do' spirit of the professional staff on the NYS Department of Transportation's team," Commissioner Dominguez said. "From bridge strikes in the capital region to catastrophic flooding in the Adirondacks, our team members work tirelessly to restore traffic and critical infrastructure-safely and quickly-with modern and resilient structures along these vital corridors within New York State."
"A Beacon Box contains vital maps, flash drives and information to help guide first responders to the right roads, gates and water sources -- especially mutual aid crews arriving from out of town and unfamiliar with the area."
When I spoke with emergency management officials last year, they all mentioned the same frustrating scenario. People ignore storm warnings until the precipitation starts falling, then suddenly everyone rushes out at once. The roads become congested with anxious drivers, accidents spike, and stores run out of essentials just when people need them most. But here's what really gets meteorologists worked up about this pattern. Modern weather forecasting has become incredibly accurate, especially for major winter storms.
After last weekend's snowstorm, streets in cities across the East Coast are crowded with dirty snow piles that squeeze pedestrians into single-file corridors and force them into gross half-frozen puddle swamps at intersections. But of the major metros, only Washington, D.C., closed its schools through Wednesday, finally reopening on Thursday with a delayed start time - all this despite receiving just six or so inches (plus, to be fair, a treacherous coating of ice on top).
Residents in the Greater Toronto Area are digging themselves out and going back to their regular weekday schedules a day after a major snowstorm. About two to four centimetres of snowfall is expected throughout the region, including Peel, York and Durham, according to Environment Canada. Flurries are forecasted to start in the afternoon and end close to midnight.
Each is among a growing number of people - at least 10, as of Tuesday - who died after being exposed to the bitter cold that has persisted in New York City since late last Friday. Their causes of death are still under investigation, but some showed signs of having succumbed to hypothermia. Officials said several victims were believed to have been living on the streets. At least six of the fatalities came early Saturday, as the temperature in the city fell to 9 degrees (minus 13 degrees Celsius).
The last couple customers, unfortunately, will be a couple days out. There could be some stragglers that go into Thursday, but we're going to work really hard to have everybody on by Wednesday night, at midnight. Both electricity companies say they worked to restore power to customers all throughout Tuesday.
