Gov. Cuomo Declares State Of Emergency For NY

In the wake of Winter Storm Jonas, Gov. Andrew Cuomo declared a state of emergency for New York, and warned residents in the New York City area that the storm was only going to get worse throughout the day. The governor's office said the state of emergency applies to New York City and a handful of southern New York counties, including Orange, Suffolk, Nassau, Westchester, Putnam and Rockland counties. According to the National Weather Service, New York City and several surrounding counties are expected to receive between 15 to 20 inches of snow, and remain under a blizzard warning until Sunday morning.

"The forecast has been right — we have been hit by the blizzard," Cuomo told CBS New York Saturday morning. He said he drove around the metropolitan New York area Saturday morning and witnessed dangerous conditions.

“There is no reason to be on the roads today unless it is a real emergency,” Cuomo told CBS New York. “I don’t care how tough we are as New Yorkers, I don’t care how big the four-wheel drive vehicle, the roads are really dangerous and it’s only going to get worse.”

All roads in the New York area remained open as of Saturday morning, but the governor said they may shut down later in the day. Although the New York City subway and extending commuter lines were planning to remain open Saturday, bus service will be suspended in New York City at noon.

The governor's office added that 1,800 MTA workers will be on hand Saturday to keep the subway lines operating. The state was also planning on using 150,000 tons of road salt and 600 plows as the snow accumulates.

The governor's office said that hundreds of flights at both LaGuardia and John F. Kennedy International airports have been cancelled for Saturday. It's unclear at this time when flights would be up and running at both New York City airports.

Cuomo also tweeted Saturday morning that there were already "several thousand power outages" on Long Island. The governor added that flooding is a major concern for both Long Island and parts of New York City.

New York is not the only state to be under a state of emergency during Winter Storm Jonas. Virginia, Pennsylvania, Kentucky, Maryland, Tennessee, Delaware, Georgia and North Carolina have all been placed under state of emergencies by their respective governors. New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, however, has yet to issue a state of emergency despite blizzard warnings throughout the North Jersey area.