Statewide State of Emergency Declared

July 31, 2025

State of Emergency To Be Declared in Bronx, Delaware, Dutchess, Kings, Nassau, New York, Orange, Putnam, Queens, Richmond, Rockland, Suffolk, Sullivan, Ulster, Westchester and Contiguous Counties

Governor Kathy Hochul has declared a statewide State of Emergency for several New York counties and urges New Yorkers to prepare for heavy rain and the potential for localized flooding, as parts of the state are forecast to be impacted by periods of heavy rain today into Friday.

Beginning this afternoon, torrential rain is forecast to impact downstate New York, primarily in the Mid-Hudson, New York City, and Long Island Regions. With the forecast enhanced to moderate risk, flash flooding becomes more likely with significant flooding possible. Flood Watches in Place for New York City, Long Island, and Hudson Valley through Friday afternoon. Significant rainfall is also expected in the Southern Tier and Capital Regions. Roadway and rail travel will be impacted during the Thursday evening commute, and employers in the affected areas are recommended to release employers early to avoid long delays and ensure safe travel home.

The State of Emergency includes the Bronx, Delaware, Dutchess, Kings, Nassau, New York, Orange, Putnam, Queens, Richmond, Rockland, Suffolk, Sullivan, Ulster, Westchester and contiguous counties. The State released non-essential employees in New York City, Sullivan, Rockland, Orange, Ulster, Dutchess, Westchester, Nassau, and Suffolk Counties at 1:00 p.m.

A widespread one to three inches of rain is expected with locally higher totals up to five inches possible. Average rainfall rates of a half inch per hour are expected with rates of one to two inches likely. Isolated rates over two inches per hour are possible, most likely Thursday afternoon or evening. Most of the rain will fall in as little as three to six hours from Thursday afternoon through Thursday night. Up to two inches of rain may impact the Southern Tier, Capital Region, and Upper Mid-Hudson Regions.

The Thursday evening commute will be impacted with areas of flash flooding possible and minor to moderate water level rises could occur on some waterways. Some roads may become impassable from flooding, most likely around underpasses and roads with little or no drainage. The heaviest rainfall rates may be capable of producing subway flooding and overwhelming NYC sewers. Flooding in basements and subterrain floors is also possible.

All Providers

DOH advises that leadership and staff at all facilities and agencies should review their Emergency Response and Evacuation Plans to ensure procedures are up to date, understood by staff, and contact information for all key staff and response partners is current; staff should be ready to activate these plans when needed.

Plans for ensuring adequate staffing should be reviewed, and should include the following:

The use of redundant communications if normal mechanisms are impacted,
Necessary notifications and alerts to staff,
Adjustment of shifts and management of staffing shortages due to transportation impacts,
Securing needed supplies and preparations for staff that remain on site if roadways are not passable,
Process for bringing in and housing additional staff prior to a weather event to ensure sufficient coverage during the storm event and recovery period, and
Emergency power.

During and following a weather event, providers experiencing prolonged power outages or other weather impacts should make requests for assistance through their local county Emergency Operations Center (EOC) or other county Office of Emergency Management (OEM) if the EOC is not activated. Those providers located within New York City (NYC) who need services or supplies should contact NYC Emergency Management. Facilities should primarily plan to gather necessary resources prior to the storm from their normal suppliers and rely on resources from their local OEM as a primary source of pre-storm supplies.

Home Care

Home care agencies are encouraged to review patient care needs and consider adjustment of visits to ensure that Level 1 patients are visited prior to the start of a forecasted storm and that all patients are reminded of how/who to call for assistance if they lose their power or have a medical emergency.

Plans for adjusting staff schedules/prioritizing patient visits in the days immediately following the storm should be made, particularly if travel is still impeded, with a focus on reassigning staff based on proximity to patients to limit travel and reduce exposure to hazardous conditions. Agencies should also ensure that staff and their patients have enough supplies to cover a period of at least 24 hours prior to and 72 hours following the start of the storm.

Agencies should be ready to contact staffing services if a large proportion of their regular staff are unable to travel and perform any of their normal visits for an extended period of time following the weather event.

Agencies should also be ready to communicate with their patients during and immediately following the weather event to perform checks on their safety and condition of their health. A plan for managing situations where patients refuse to evacuate a hazardous situation should be developed and included in the Agency’s emergency response plan.

Health Commerce System

Agencies must ensure that all business and emergency contact information for key facility and administrative staff is up to date in the Health Commerce System (HCS) Communications Directory. This contact information is the main data source used by the DOH alerting and notification system for sending emergency and informational notifications to providers and conducting one-on-one communications and discussions where needed. If this data is not up to date, providers may not receive key information.

HERDS Surveys

The Health Electronic Response Data System (HERDS) surveys may need to be conducted to capture important information regarding a provider’s status during an emergency and providers must be able to respond to any survey that might be activated. The HCS Communications Directory Roles that enable staff to access HERDS include: HERDS Data Manager, HERDS Data Reporter, HERDS Survey Reporter, Administrator, and HPN Coordinator.

HCANYS is a collaborative partner to the NYS Department of Health and the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene in supporting emergency health preparedness across the State and as a distinct region in NYC.