Cuomo declares state of emergency across Capital Region

PHOTOGRAPHER: Peter R. Barber

A City of Schenectady snow plow clears a path on Union Street early Thursday, December 17, 2020.

CAPITAL REGION — Governor Andrew M. Cuomo has declared a state of emergency in eighteen New York counties due to the strong winter storm, including nearly the entire Capital Region.

The counties included in the declaration include Albany, Broome, Chenango, Columbia, Delaware, Dutchess, Greene, Montgomery, Orange, Otsego, Rensselaer, Saratoga, Schenectady, Schoharie, Sullivan, Tioga, Ulster and Washington counties.

Cuomo said those counties have travel restrictions and reduced speed limits, including a 45 mph limit on interstate highways.

“With a large portion of the state continuing to deal with heavy snowfall and extremely dangerous driving conditions, I am declaring a state of emergency in eighteen counties across the Southern Tier, Mohawk Valley, Capital and Mid-Hudson Regions,” Cuomo said. “New Yorkers are no strangers to extreme winter weather and we will get through this as we always do. We have thousands of personnel and pieces of equipment engaged in operations throughout the state and will continue to do everything we can to help communities until the job is done.

“In the meantime, I am urging all New Yorkers to stay home and avoid any unnecessary travel so snow plows and road crews can clear roads as quickly and as safely as possible,” he said.