By GREGORY ZELLER //
Bring it on, Nature – Kathy “Blood and Guts” Hochul and her regiments are ready for peak hurricane season.
With the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Climate Prediction Center ramping up its 2023 Atlantic hurricane predictions, Florida still digging out of the ruin of Category 3 monster Hurricane Idalia and the next major tropical storm – the future Hurricane Lee – already barreling toward the Sargasso Sea, the governor laid out her storm-response strategy on Tuesday.
Sounding every bit like a battlefield general (and pegging climate change as the primary enemy), Hochul highlighted a comprehensive strategy that learns from history, seeks to efficiently deploy the right response teams to the right places and, most importantly, emphasizes preparedness.
Kathy Hochul: Prepare for the worst, hope for the best.
“New York is no stranger to the devastating effects that hurricanes can have on our communities,” the governor noted. “As we enter peak hurricane season, my administration is prepared to respond on every front to protect our state against the impacts of these catastrophic storms.”
Among the proactive efforts: fresh supplies of generators, light towers, water pumps, sandbags, cots, blankets, meals-ready-to-eat and potable water, all stockpiled by the New York State Office of Emergency Management, part of the state’s Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services.
Albany has also created a new subscriber-based high-tech notification system, dubbed NY-Alert, to provide critical information in case of weather emergencies. Subscribers to the free service can elect to receive updates by phone, email, text and/or fax.
There are extra citizen-preparedness training classes being presented statewide by the DHSES, while the state’s Department of Public Service – closely tracking the Atlantic Basin for storms threatening to surge toward the Northeast – stands ready to apply advanced metrics designed to gauge severity, accurately predict impact points and proactively deploy materials and personnel.
Worse than we thought: The 2023 Atlantic Hurricane season may be more active than originally anticipated. (Source: NOAA)
The New York Power Authority, meanwhile, has been reviewing mutual-assistance and power-restoration protocols with statewide investor-owned utilities (including PSEG Long Island), while myriad other agencies – from the New York State Police (security issues) and the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (mass-transit issues) to the Department of Environmental Conservation (post-flood reconstruction) and the Department of Financial Services (insurance-related expertise) are gearing up for the next big blow.
All of the most innovative technologies, tools and techniques will be called in as necessary, according to Hochul, but preparedness is always key – particularly in communities across Long Island, ground zero for potentially devastating ocean-based storms.
“Over the next few months, I encourage all New Yorkers to stay informed,” the governor added. “And review their hurricane preparedness plans to stay safe.”
