Monticello, NY – Sullivan County Manager Josh Potosek is urging residents to seek warm shelter prior to – and to stay off the roads during – tomorrow's anticipated nor'easter.
“This storm will be substantially similar to Friday's blizzard which walloped Sullivan County and left many of us in the dark,” Potosek advised. “We are actively preparing for power outages, closed roads, and property damage. I ask that residents make their own preparations without delay.”
For those still without electricity tomorrow morning, plan on not seeing restoration until Thursday. The National Weather Service is predicting a foot or more of snow from this storm, falling at a rate of up to 3 inches per hour during the height of the storm midday and into Wednesday afternoon.
“This will reduce visibilities to near-zero and make travel impossible,” Sullivan County Public Safety Commissioner Rick Sauer stated. “And in order to respond to impacts as rapidly as possible, we will need to have roads cleared quickly for power restoration crews, emergency medical teams and debris removal trucks.”
All Sullivan County government offices will be closed tomorrow, except for 24-hour facilities like 911 and DPW road maintenance. In addition, the County's Emergency Operations Center will remain fully staffed and operational through at least Thursday, in order to deal with both this storm and the ongoing impacts from Friday's blizzard.
Updates will be posted throughout the day tomorrow on the County's website and social media channels, along with local news media.
List of Warming Centers, Shelters
The following warming centers and shelters are open to the public:
Federation for the Homeless (8 a.m.-4 p.m. only), Monticello
Highland Town Hall, Proctor Road, Eldred (dry ice available, as supplies last)
Tusten Town Hall, Bridge Street, Narrowsburg (dry ice available, as supplies last)
Youngsville Firehouse, Shandelee Road (dry ice available, as supplies last)
Fallsburg Town Hall, Railroad Avenue, South Fallsburg (dry ice available, as supplies last)
Lake Huntington Firehouse, Lake Huntington Road (dry ice available, as supplies last)
Forestburgh Firehouse, Route 42 (dry ice available, as supplies last)
Camp Simcha, White Road, Glen Spey (dry ice available, as supplies last)
In addition, the Callicoon Center Firehouse on The Gulf Road (County Route 123) is distributing water and dry ice.
Governor Andrew Cuomo declared a State of Emergency for Sullivan County on the state level and has urged anyone without power to seek shelter immediately. For life-threatening emergencies, dial 911. Otherwise, available resources can be reached by calling 211.
Representatives from the Governor's Office, NYS Dept. of Homeland Security and Emergency Services, New York Power Authority, NYS Dept. of Transportation, State Police and the New York National Guard were deployed to the Sullivan County Emergency Operations Center in Swan Lake. They are working closely with County and local officials on recovery efforts and to facilitate in the coordination of the response from the utility companies. They will remain with the County during this coming storm.
Numerous mutual aid crews have also been deployed, from as far away as Texas and Canada, to speed the restoration of services. The American Red Cross' Metro NY chapter is also actively assisting in the provision of water and shelter.
