Governor Cuomo announced May 9 that Department of Financial Services Mobile Command Centers will be deployed to the region to provide insurance help to residents affected by the flooding along Lake Ontario. Additionally, Governor Cuomo is formally requesting assistance from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers under their Advanced Measures and Emergency Ops Flood Fighting Programs. Together, these programs can deploy federal resources to prevent loss of life and protect critical public facilities and infrastructure. Corps assistance may include the construction of temporary flood barriers to protect communities, and the positioning of additional personnel and equipment to expand ongoing state and local efforts.
Sandbagging operations remain active in the region and as of today, 771,000 sandbags and seven sandbaggers have been distributed by the State to shoreline communities to protect homes, businesses and infrastructure from rising water levels. Some coastline roadways and lawns have standing water, and many docks and boat launches are submerged. To date, there have been no evacuations.
"Water levels are continuing to rise, threatening homes and businesses in the Lake Ontario region," Governor Cuomo said. "By deploying these mobile command centers to help residents with insurance claims, we continue to take aggressive action to protect the people who live and work in the affected communities."
Last week, Governor Cuomo declared a State of Emergency in Cayuga, Jefferson, Monroe, Niagara, Orleans, Oswego, St. Lawrence, and Wayne counties in order to expedite repair to impacted structures and construction of shoreline stabilization projects. Additionally, at the Governor's direction, a coordinated Lake Ontario Rapid Response Team was sent to the region which includes experts from the State Department of Environmental Conservation, the Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services, State Police and Office of General Services, along with city and county agencies.
The Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services' Office of Emergency Management continues to coordinate with county and local partners in monitoring the rising levels of Lake Ontario and additional resources from state stockpiles have been shifted to locations in Monroe county in the event that conditions worsen.
