Governor Hochul Requests Federal Emergency Declaration to Support Response and Recovery Operations Following Severe Weather on July 15 and 16 (2024)

Governor Kathy Hochul today announced her request for a federal Emergency Declaration from President Biden to support response and recovery operations in 15 counties following a string of severe weather which devastated areas throughout upstate New York on July 15 and 16. A federal Emergency Declaration would authorize FEMA to provide reimbursem*nt for debris removal operations, emergency protective measures like search and rescue operations, and actions to eliminate or reduce immediate threats of significant additional damage to critical infrastructure such as roads, bridges, water control facilities and utilities.

“After extreme weather struck parts of our state midweek, I’m requesting a federal Emergency Declaration to support our recovery efforts and provide assistance to families and businesses,” Governor Hochul said. “We must give our communities the support they need to recover, and I will do everything in my power to get New Yorkers the resources they need.”

The counties included in the Governor’s Emergency Declaration request are Chemung, Genesee, Hamilton, Herkimer, Jefferson, Lewis, Madison, Montgomery, Oswego, Oneida, Ontario, Saratoga, Schuyler, Steuben and Warren.

While the Governor’s request is under consideration by the federal government, the State Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services is continuing to work with impacted counties to assess infrastructure damages to determine the state’s ability to request a Major Disaster Declaration from President Biden which would open up additional funding to support recovery operations for the July 15 and 16 storms, as well as severe storms on July 10 -11. Similar operations are underway to determine the state’s ability to apply for low-interest recovery loans from the U.S. Small Business Administration for businesses and homeowners.

New York has experienced a rash of severe weather during the month of July. There have been 17 confirmed tornados across the state, the largest number of confirmed tornadoes for the month of July since records began in 1950. The previous record was 13 in July of 1992.

Additionally, there were 41 tornado warnings on July 10 and Lewis County experienced 6.02 inches of rain, the highest one-day precipitation total for the county, breaking the previous record of 5.40 inches, set on August 23, 2010.

Less than a week later, more severe weather crossed the state and brought 3.00” hail to Farmington, Ontario County on July 15 which was the largest hail on record for the County since recordkeeping began 1950. The last time hail 3.00” or greater was recorded in New York State was June 1, 2022 in Broome County.

A day later, on July 16, an EF2 tornado touched down in Rome, Oneida County with six others touching down in five counties. The Rome tornado was the strongest tornado recorded in Oneida County since July 23, 1990. Elsewhere in the state, the July 16 severe weather led to over 86 mph wind gusts in Glens Falls, Warren County breaking a statewide wind gust record.

The New York State Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services' Office of Emergency Management and Office of Fire Prevention and Control, the Department of Transportation, Office of Disaster Recovery Programs, New York State Police, Thruway Authority and National Guard continue to be engaged in supporting local governments as they work to recover.