Earlier today, Governor Cuomo declared a State of Emergency for Cayuga, Chautauqua, Cortland, Dutchess, Erie, Essex, Hamilton, Herkimer, Montgomery, Oneida, Saratoga and Warren Counties due to heavy rains and high winds that have caused flooding and power outages throughout most of the state.
According to the Governor’s office, nearly 60 roads are closed across the state and more than 241,000 buildings or homes are without power. The Governor is deploying 200 members of the National Guard to assist localities with response and clean-up operations over the next 24 hours and will be equipped with bobcats, dump trucks and front-end loaders to assist with clearing debris. The Governor is also activating the State Emergency Operations Center in Albany to Level Four status and directing state agencies to continue deploying emergency response equipment and personnel.
To ensure the safety of your staff and patients, HCA encourages provider members to connect with your regional Department of Health Office and/or local emergency manager if you are experiencing any problems. Contacts for regional offices are on HCA’s Emergency Preparedness website, along with other preparedness tools and resources, at http://homecareprepare.org/.
Please also be sure to watch for alerts on the state’s Health Commerce System (HCS). All providers must have an HCS account and maintain up-to-date records in the HCS Communications Directory, which the state Department of Health uses to communicate directly with providers in the event of an emergency.
Additional materials are located on the Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services website.
And as always, please feel free to reach out to HCA with any questions or concerns:
Andrew Koski
Vice President for Program Policy and Services
akoski@hcanys.org
(518) 810-0662
Alyssa Lovelace
Director of Policy & Advocacy
alovelace@hcanys.org
(518) 810-0658