Westchester County Executive Ken Jenkins says that a state of emergency will go into effect for Westchester County at 6 p.m. tomorrow, Saturday, Jan. 24 and remain in effect for five days due to the impending snow storm. Jenkins and other county officials gave a pre-storm briefing at the County Office Building in White Plains on Friday morning during which they provided assurances that the county’s workforce will be deployed to deal with storm conditions and do whatever is necessary to maintain safety in the county and help people who may experience trouble due to the storm.
Also on Friday morning, Gov. Kathy Hochul declared a state of emergency for all of New York state because of the impending storm.
“Projections right now are for about 14-inches right here in White Plains,” Jenkins said while noting that the New York Metro area has been told to expect from eight to 12-inches of snowfall with a possibility of as much as 18-inches. There also could be some mixing with sleet and a buildup of ice.
“The temperatures are going to drop dramatically. Tomorrow’s projected high here in White Plains is 17 degrees,” Jenkins said, noting that winds are expected to result in a wind chill factor that makers it feel like only seven degrees. “We’ve been through this before, we live in the Northeast … but we want everyone to be taking this seriously. There may be frigid, frigid conditions from tonight going into late next week.”
Jenkins warned of considerable disruption to transportation and other activities. He said that with the exact track of the storm still to be refined the true impact could not be accurately predicted at the time of the briefing. He did suggest that there could be snowfall rates of 2-inches per hour into Sunday and Sunday evening along with whiteout conditions.
The county’s Commissioner of Emergency Services Susan Spear said, “There may be ice as part of this storm. There also is the potential to impact power lines making road travel, walking and shoveling treacherous. Westchester County departments are experienced in preparing and responding to winter storms but this one is going to be ‘the big one.’”
Spear said the county asks people to stay off the roads but if they must go out to slow down. She urged that cars be prepared including having an emergency kit in the vehicle. She said nonperishable food, medications, water, and fresh batteries need to be kept on hand at home.
Hugh Greechan, commissioner of the county’s Department of Public Works and Transportation, urged people to stay off the roads. He said that snowplows need to be moving at 15 to 20 miles an hour in order to effectively plow and that slow moving cars in the way can pose a problem.
“We’re going to do our best to get everybody to work,” Greechan said about Monday. “You can check around to see whether you’re essential or whether you can work from home. This snow is not going anywhere; this snow is going to be around for a week.”
Greechan pointed out that the country’s website is a good resource for checking on county roads, flights at the airport and the status of Bee-Line buses.
Jim Luciano, the chief of the county’s Department of Public Safety, said staffing will be adjusted as necessary as storm conditions change.
“Never pass snow plows or follow them too closely,” Luciano said. “Clear all snow and ice from your vehicle including roofs, lights, windows before driving. Check on elderly neighbors or anyone who may need assistance during the storm.”
Deputy County Executive Emily Saltzman said that the county’s senior programs operation is doing additional deliveries of meals to senior citizens over the weekend. She said the county is prepared to assist any individual who needs housing to stay out of the bitter cold.
