Your governor issued a State of Emergency ahead of the anticipated winter storm heading our way, but what does this mean for you?
With blizzard warnings issued throughout the tri-state and indeed for much of the I-95 corridor from Philadelphia to Boston, New York and New Jersey are under a state of emergency starting Sunday.
New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill, just a month into her tenure leading the state and already dealing with her second major snowstorm, issued a state of emergency for all 21 counties effective at 12 p.m. Sunday.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul followed suit Saturday evening for more than 20 counties in her state, warning of extremely dangerous travel conditions, coastal flooding and possible power outages as a result of the nor’easter. Hochul advised residents to take the storm seriously and make necessary preparations.
Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont also declared a state of emergency in Connecticut.
Here’s a breakdown of a how a State of Emergency declaration impacts residents of a state.
WHAT IS A STATE OF EMERGENCY?
A State of Emergency can be declared when a governor believes a disaster has occurred or may occur.
A State of Emergency is a declaration issued by a governor saying that — in this instance — weather may end up being severe enough that the state sees it necessary for state-level coordination and resources to support local governments responding to the severe weather conditions or its aftermath, according to the New Jersey Office of Emergency Management.
This declaration, according to the NJOEM, allows the governor to make resources “immediately available to rescue, evacuate, shelter, provide essential commodities.”
DOES A STATE OF EMERGENCY AFFECT YOU?
Because declaring a State of Emergency gives the governor the power to send out resources more quickly, things like emergency response centers, snow plows, police and other first responders tend to be deployed more rapidly during a State of Emergency. This means streets are salted and cleared of snow as fast as possible and first responders are on alert for any emergency that may arise.
The declaration, according to the NJOEM, also lets the State seek federal assistance when the event that brought on the State of Emergency, in this case weather, becomes too much for state officials to handle because it “exceeds the State’s resources,” allowing for resource requests and easier communication with federal officials.
AM I BANNED FROM TRAVELING? DO I HAVE A CURFEW DURING A STATE OF EMERGENCY?
Not necessarily. A State of Emergency does not automatically restrict anyone from going outside or ban traveling. However, there may be travel advisories that are issued.
According to New York’s Oswego County, “travel advisories issued during a “state of emergency” do not prohibit travel but instead, they caution residents about hazardous conditions.” Such is the case with New York City. The city’s Mayor Zohran Mamdani issued a “hazardous travel advisory” for Sunday and Monday — the expected peak and immediate aftermath of the storm.
“So if you need groceries. If you need a new winter coat — anything, frankly, that you are thinking about this weekend, today is the day to make that trip,” he said during his Friday morning press conference on the city’s winter storm preparations.
The same can be said about curfews — there is no automatic curfew that is imposed during a State of Emergency.
However, the state government may decide to limit access to certain areas impacted by the emergency because of public safety concerns. If this is the case, the public will be notified.
Travel restrictions may be announced following a State of Emergency declaration that may make certain roadways off limits for safety reasons or traveling during certain times may be prohibited. Curfews could also be enforced. However, if this were to happen, this would require a specific and separate order, and state officials will announce it to the public.
NJ Transit said that as of Saturday afternoon, it was planning to run buses, trains and light rail service as long as road and weather conditions permitted. There would be a full, regular weekend schedule into Sunday, and would continue that way for as long as they were able to do so.
Hochul said Long Island Rail Road planned to operate a Sunday schedule on Monday, with modifications that could come as the storm plays out. Metro-North would run on an hourly schedule for the Harlem, Hudson and New Haven lines. In the city, the governor warned that subway service changes and delays were expected overnight Sunday into Monday, with express trains running local.
On the roads, Hochul banned all empty commercial vehicles and all tandem tractor trailers from I-84 and roads south of the highway, including NY State Thruway system roads, starting at 4 p.m. Sunday.
Mamdani also said he planned to be more aggressive with this storm. He declared a state of emergency for the five boroughs and a travel ban. That means no vehicles are permitted on streets, bridges and highways for the duration of the ban. It lasts from 8 p.m. Sunday to 12 p.m. Monday.
Meanwhile, Suffolk County Executive Ed Romaine issued a travel ban from 9 p.m. tonight through 9 p.m. Monday for his Long Island county..
Romaine said the ban does not apply for essential workers and snow plow operators.
On his end, Lamont also , signed an emergency order prohibiting all commercial vehicles from traveling on all limited access highways statewide in his state beginning at 5 p.m. Sunday. This remain in effect until further notice.
“Commercial vehicles include those such as permitted vehicles, trucks, RVs, tractor trailers, tankers, and vehicles with trailers. The Office of the Governor will send out a notification indicating when it has been determined that the emergency order on commercial vehicle travel can be lifted,” Lamont’s office said in a press release.
DOES A STATE OF EMERGENCY SHUT DOWN STATE OFFICES? SCHOOLS?
No. A State of Emergency, on its own, does not automatically shut down government offices.
It was announced that all locations of the New York Public Library, Brooklyn Public Library and Queens Public Library will be closed Sunday.
In the case of New Jersey, if the governor decides to close State offices, she will make an announcement to the Cabinet and then to the public.
Meanwhile, when it comes to schools, districts decide whether to close schools during a State of Emergency. However, for the most part they tend to do so when it comes to such events.
Mayor Zohran Mamdani is giving kids the day off — no remote learning, no in-person learning required.
This is the first traditional snow day in years.
The nation’s largest school district ended its traditional snow day system when it began the 2022-23 school year.
Rather than cancel school for the day, district officials implemented the remote learning system that the city developed and utilized throughout the pandemic. It hasn’t been without technical issues but reliability has improved considerably in the years since the remote system rolled out.
