Biden approves emergency declaration for NY after historic snowfall

The White House said that US President Joe Biden had approved an emergency declaration for the state of New York after historic snowfall. Biden had also ordered federal assistance to supplement state and local response efforts to address the aftermath of a severe winter storm and snowstorm, the White House said in a statement on Monday.

Additionally, the federal government named a coordinating officer for federal recovery operations in areas affected by the storm. According to a statement issued by New York Governor Kathy Hochul’s office, the emergency declaration is for the counties of Cattaraugus, Chautauqua, Erie, Genesee, Jefferson, Lewis, Niagara, Oneida, Oswego, St. Lawrence and Wyoming.

“I thank President Biden for immediately granting our emergency declaration request and for our ongoing strong partnership as well as Senator Schumer for his assistance in securing relief for New Yorkers,” Governor Hochul said on Monday.

“My team and I will continue working around the clock to keep everyone safe, help communities dig out, and secure every last dollar to help rebuild and recover from this unprecedented, record-shattering historic winter storm.” The storm set a state record for the most snowfall within a 24-hour period, with some parts of Erie County getting more than 6 feet of snow.

In Orchard Park, a village in Erie County, 80 inches of snow fell between November 17-20, according to the US National Weather Service. Throughout the storm, these affected areas experienced consistent snowfall rates of two-to-three inches per hour, and some seeing a peak of six inches of snowfall an hour. This intense snowfall created extremely dangerous travel conditions.