MID-HUDSON – The recent flooding in portions of the Hudson Valley, including Orange Rockland, Dutchess, and Putnam Counties has made it necessary for additional New York State DOT workers to be dispatched to the Hudson Valley. The heavy rainfall in portions of the region on Sunday and Monday resulted in Governor Hochul redirecting state resources to the Hudson Valley.
On Monday, Hochul toured the storm-ravaged areas of Highland Falls and West Point. Between Sunday and Monday, more than eight inches of rain was reported in parts of the Mid-Hudson Region, with Orange County being hit with substantial flooding. As the State Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services field staff began damage assessments in Orange and Rockland Counties, the Governor spoke with federal officials from the White House, FEMA, and U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand regarding the ongoing emergency and the potential for federal assistance to help rebuild.
The State Department of Transportation is monitoring and responding to weather conditions and has more than 3,470 supervisors and operators available statewide, including more than 545 in the Hudson Valley region. Staff are actively assessing damage and working to get state roads back open as quickly as possible.
To assist with operations, 36 staff from the Capital Region and the Mohawk Valley are deployed in the Hudson Valley region as follows:
- Capital Region – 19 operators and 4 supervisors to the Hudson Valley
- Mohawk Valley – 11 operators and 2 supervisors to the Hudson Valley
The Department has deployed bridge inspection teams from Long Island and the Southern Tier to the Hudson Valley region and their work is ongoing. The State Route 9W bridge over the Popolopen Creek in the Town Highlands, Orange County, is currently closed for repairs while state engineers develop a plan to repair the bridge and resume traffic as quickly as possible. The Department of Transportation also deployed damage assessment teams from the region and across the state to assess damages on both state and local roads, with information and data currently being assessed by the teams.
Several of the out-of-town DOT staff are staying in Poughkeepsie after their shifts, with more than a dozen DOT vehicles parked on Civic Center Plaza at night.
