Officials in Connecticut and New York are gearing up for the winter storm expected Friday night through Saturday night that could dump over a foot of snow in some places. New York Governor Kathy Hochul has declared a state of emergency that takes effect Friday at 8 p.m.
In Connecticut, Governor Ned Lamont said the state has lined up hundreds of crews to clear the roads, and the National Guard is on stand-by.
“We’ve got 600-plus snow plows going to be out in the street,” Lamont said. “These guys say they can go for 17 hours.”
Lamont has ordered for all tractor-trailers to stay off the roads as of 6 a.m. Saturday and asked for residents to stay home if possible. Several towns and cities have also declared snow emergencies. State-run COVID-19 testing and vaccination sites are also closed Saturday.
On Long Island, Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone called it the most significant winter storm to hit the county in several years. Eastern Long Island could get as much as two feet of snow. Wind gusts could reach 65 miles per hour.
“Timing of storms is always critical,” Bellone said at a news conference with the governor. “The fact that it is pushed back, it is going to be past commuting time on a Friday night into Saturday, that’s good timing. In terms of good news, that’s pretty much it with this storm.”
Hochul also warned drivers to avoid all unnecessary travel after 8 p.m.
“It is dangerous to be on roads when you can’t see the vehicles around you,” Hochul said. “Common sense has to prevail here and I’m asking people to take heed of those warnings.”
She said the state of emergency will allow her to purchase equipment and move personnel around the state to respond to the storm.
Eversource says they have 600 crews on stand-by to assist with any outages, falling power lines and tree removal. Outages for Eversource and United Illuminating customers can be tracked online.
PSEG Long Island said over 900 workers are ready to respond to power outages. Outages can be tracked on their website.
