CAMP SMITH, N.Y-Two hundred members of the New York Army and Air National Guard, and New York's state defense forces, were on duty Monday after New York Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo declared a state of emergency in four Hudson Valley counties.
The declaration came following a nor'easter storm that hit on Friday. Heavy wet snow and high winds resulted in power outages that left 182,000 New Yorkers without power.
Two-thirds of those power outages were in Dutchess, Putnam, Sullivan and Westchester Counties, where the governor declared states of emergency. The declarations allow the state to provide additional assistance to local governments.
"This is an all-hands-on-deck situation and the people of the Hudson Valley should know that New York State is doing everything we can to restore power and help them recover as quickly as possible," the governor said.
On Saturday, the governor announced that he was going to mobilize 100 members of the New York National Guard to assist in storm recovery. On Sunday the governor announced he would increase the number of troops by an additional 100.
Soldiers and Airmen began reporting for duty on Sunday and were heading out to assist local governments Monday morning.
Soldiers from the 53rd Troop Command were assisting in debris clearance in Barryville, Sullivan County, while Airmen from the 105th Airlift Wing were assisting in debris clearing and generator refueling missions in Westchester County.
National Guard officers were on duty at the emergency operations centers in Sullivan, Dutchess, Westchester and Putnam counties as well as the regional operations center in Poughkeepsie to help coordinate the National Guard response.
The 42nd Infantry Division and New York Naval Militia were mobilizing additional personnel at Camp Smith Training Site just north of Peekskill to assist in debris clearing missions if required.
The New York Naval Militia is a state force consisting of members of the Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard reserves who volunteer to respond to state emergencies if requested.
New York Naval Militia personnel were also on duty to assist in running logistics operations at Camp Smith.
Members of the New York Guard, New York's volunteer defense force, were also on duty to assist in supporting the National Guard and Naval Militia members in the field.
Elsewhere, nearly 140 Pennsylvania Army National Guard Soldiers ended their weekend storm response. At the height of operations, the troops conducted highway vehicle assistance, civilian welfare/evacuation assistance with Pennsylvania state police, wrecker assistance to disabled tractor trailers, and assisted local Emergency Medical Services with transportation.
Massachusetts National Guard officials said nearly 140 personnel were helping in that state's recovery from the weekend's winter battering.