Gov. Cuomo Says Henri will Pass by 2 to 3pm Tomorrow: Catskills are at Significant Risk

Gov. Cuomo Says Henri will Pass by 2 to 3pm Tomorrow: Catskills are at Significant Risk

By Yehudit Garmaise

     While New York City will likely only get two and a half inches of rain between today and tomorrow, the Catskills are at risk of being deluged by the storm: getting as many as five inches of rain that could lead to flooding, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said this morning, in what may be his last press conferences as governor, as his resignation goes into effect Monday at midnight.

     “The rainfall in the Catskills is a significant problem,” said Gov. Cuomo, who also provided that good news that the Category One Hurricane has been downgraded to a tropical storm. “Remember, not Sandy, but Storms Irene and Lee, which spared New York City, but hit the Catskills with a level of rain over a short period of time, which is highly problematic for that entire Hudson Valley, which has hills and creeks.

     “When the water comes running down those hills and hits what was a creek and turns it into a ravaging rivers,” Gov. Cuomo said somewhat wistfully. “I have seen towns float away. We spent weeks and weeks digging out towns. I have seen homes, destroyed, floating by: in Margaretville, Prattsville, and other small towns in these mountainous areas get devastated by the rain.”

     “The number one priority now is keeping an eye on that Hudson Valley,” said the governor, whose last day in office in tomorrow. “We won’t see the storm pass until tomorrow at 2 or 3 pm.”

      Other good news, the governor said, President Biden has approved the state’s Pre-Land Fall Emergency Declaration, which would reimburse the state and the local governments for everything they is doing to protect citizens from harm from the storm,” said Gov. Cuomo, who when he was asked whether he still plans on resigning, he only answered, “Lt. Gov. [Kathy] Hochul has been briefed on all of this, and the event should be over by tomorrow afternoon,” which is mere hours before Hochul assumes office as governor.

     That protection included the calling in of 500 members of the National guard, 1000 State Police troopers, 500 pieces of equipment, and staff from the state’s Departments of Transportation who are providing extensive work to subway, train, bus, and air transit systems, plus protection of the coastline.

     While Gov. Cuomo continues to pack up his belongings out of the Executive Governor’s Mansion, after serving as the governor of New York for more than a decade, he said today that he asked his Emergency Management staffers to stay on board.

     “Many flights have been canceled at JFK, LaGuardia, and Newark airports, said Rick Cotton, the Executive Director of The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. “Travelers should be sure to check with airlines about the status of their flights.”

     “If you don’t need to travel, please stay home,” said Janno Lieber, the MTA's construction chief, who is also bolstering the city’s subways to accommodate potential rain. “If you do have to leave home, please take mass transit,” which has been operating without any suspensions.

(Philip Kamrass/ Office of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo)