Governor Declares State Of Emergency For Long Island

Gov. Andrew Cuomo has declared a state of emergency on Long Island due to the storm that is currently battering the Island.

The governor delcared the state of emergency for the entire down-state area, including Westchester and New York City, as well as Long Island. The reason, he said, wasn't just because of the snow.

"Snow is one thing. We can handle snow," Cuomo said. "It's snow plus the wind which is going to cause the trouble today. The wind is going to be high all throughout the day."

Cuomo said that, under the current weather predictions, the wind is likely to pick up as the day goes on, making the afternoon commute much more difficult than the morning drive was. The wind will also make it harder to keep roads clear, the governor said.

"It's almost impossible to clear roads when you have those high wind gusts," he said. "Because as soon as you clear the road, the wind just literally brings the snow back across the road. We expect the wind to be picking up in the later hours. And the late afternoon rush hour could be more problematic than the morning rush hour."

Though a state of emergency has been declared, the roads and trains have not been shut down, as they have in the past. Cuomo said that the state of emergency means that, unless people must be out today, that they should stay home.

"There have been situations where we've closed the subway and closed the roads," said Cuomo. "Those are extreme situations. Those are situations where the threat to public safety overwhelms the damage to the economy by closing down the subway and the road system. That does not mean, because the roads and the trains are running, that it's a situation that's especially safe or easy."

Photo: Patch