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“You have these climate events happening, and we have systems that are built for things that happened 100 years ago, not what’s happening now. We need to shift focus to that.”
A flood watch is in effect across the region Thursday afternoon through Friday morning.
“Over 85 families are depending on this food for their Christmas dinners, so we are very concerned about being able to get the plowing done.”
Broome County announced a travel ban for all non-essential vehicles early Thursday morning. It will continue indefinitely until the roads are cleared.
Overnight, the Governor says State Police responded to over 600 accidents and disabled vehicles. There were also two fatal accidents.
“I mean it’s huge for us. We have been trying to recover from the damage from 2017 and 2019 so to know that this will help alleviate the chances of flooding for 2021 means a great deal.”
“This is an important step in the worldwide campaign to stop investments in fossil fuels in order to prevent the worst of global warming.”
“We realized that it would be beneficial for the Board to be smaller so they can make decisions in a quicker fashion.”
President-elect Biden says he will rejoin the Paris Agreement on day one.
“In January when the shipping season is over, do exactly what you did last winter – physically let out as much water as you can because you don’t know what’s going to happen next spring.”
The new standards — which are still subject to regulatory review and approval by the state legislature — were advanced by the Pennsylvania State Board of Education last week.
‘Attribution science’ uses modeling to assess role of warming in weather events
Govs. Andrew Cuomo and Ned Lamont are seeking investigations as thousands of customers remain without power in the aftermath of Tropical Storm Isaias.
As we move further into summer, authorities in New York face tough choices about whether to open cooling centers. They’re balancing the risk of health problems from the heat against the risk of spreading COVID-19.
Water levels throughout the Lake Ontario-St. Lawrence River System are expected to peak below the record-high levels seen in 2019.
DEP’s Climate Change Impact Assessment report focuses on livestock and watershed
The International Joint Commission says it’s doing everything it can to mitigate rising lake levels but it still might not be enough.
“We were able to contribute to lake levels being fairly stable through the month of March compared with historic records.”
“Trees, as a group, are more responsive to these temperature shifts than wildflowers,”
It is a set of guidelines for how high and low water levels in Lake Ontario and the Saint Lawrence are allowed to get.
“You get double speak. You get half justifications for things, and we’re not getting action from them. So today, the gloves come off.”
“This is our dream home, this is our house forever, but if you have to put up with this every year, every other year, it’s not a whole lot of fun living here.”
“All the water we’re letting out will lessen the impact down the road; it doesn’t guarantee there won’t be flooding but I can guarantee there will be less of it.”
Households can apply for a second emergency benefit through the Home Energy Assistance Program – or HEAP – if they are in danger of running out of fuel or having their utility service shut off and have already received assistance this winter.
The Army Corps of Engineers reports that four of the five Great Lakes were at record-high water levels this week.
“What the dredging does is it increases the access and capacity of creeks, inlets, et cetera. And it uses the dredging material, in this situation, to increase a barrier to keep the high water from affecting the shoreline.”
The international body that helps regulate water levels on Lake Ontario and in the St. Lawrence River is forecasting a return to flood-level heights this summer.
“I’m not sure what they looked at and what they saw over the time they were here and I continually ask how much more does it take for an area that has been inundated to receive its due from the federal government.”
Propelled by the jet stream, Flight BA112 topped a ground speed of 800 mph, by one expert’s estimate. It traveled from New York’s JFK to London’s Heathrow in 4 hours, 56 minutes overnight Saturday.
After Lake Ontario reached new heights in 2017, the state and many homeowners invested substantial amounts of money rebuilding the break walls and other barriers along their shorelines – only to see much of it washed away again in 2019.
The index was designed after a similar tool created to help communities in the Gulf Coast region of the United States following Hurricane Katrina.
“We want to get the job done to make the roads safe, but I don’t want salt laying all over the roads and having piles of it. It’s not good for the environment.”
“When you see a house go down a river, when you see a house hanging over an embankment…when is it enough for FEMA to say this county, this region, this state, needs our assistance?”
The crash took place at about 3:40 a.m. as a tour bus rolled over and was immediately struck by two tractor trailers. Eighty miles of turnpike were closed as officials responded to the incident.
Lake Ontario is still high – about 246 feet high. The Lake Ontario-St. Lawrence River Board says they’re working to reduce levels as much as possible by spring.
Critics say Plan 2014 is to blame for the unprecedented water levels while others say it’s a scapegoat for the excessive rainfall in recent years, which could be related to climate change.
The law has been on the books for over ten years, but it’s getting new attention thanks to recent snowfall.
The state’s attorney general argued that the oil giant misled shareholders about the financial risks from climate change.
The post-Thanksgiving travel rush has ended, but the winter storm continues to bear down in the New England region, causing hundreds of flight cancellations and delays.
Winter storm warnings remain in effect for most of New York through Monday as a large winter storm moves through the region, with storm totals of a foot of snow or more expected in some spots by Monday evening.
The post-Thanksgiving travel rush is due to get even more hectic, as heavy snow and ice accumulation is expected to continue battering regions across the United States.
A winter storm is moving across the region today and tomorrow, with freezing rain, sleet and heavy snow predicted for much of central New York and Northeastern Pennsylvania.
Area utilities including RG&E, NYSEG and National Grid say they are getting crews in place to deal potential damage caused by downed trees and power lines.
Even as the fire was still going on, emergency shelter was set up at Hornell high school, and donations began pouring in.
Top state officials say that the IJC failed to act in response to flooding in 2017 and 2019, causing New York to incur substantial and potentially avoidable damages.
Eugene DePasqule wants lawmakers to come up with a more comprehensive plan to improve infrastructure, and hopefully prevent future damage from severe weather.
Right on time with the cold snap that’s hit us this week, Tuesday was the first day people could apply for the Home Energy Assistance Program.
The Capital Plan is part of the county’s long term effort to bring down it’s carbon emissions to almost zero by 2035.
The Associated Press says those high-risk structures are in poor condition, and could kill people if they collapse.
The compromise comes after cries for more of an investment to fight climate change.
At one point during the storm, Steuben County officials say 17,500 customers lost power.
Cheryl LaFleur fears regulator’s credibility is hurt by more party-line voting
63 projects along the Lake Ontario shoreline will receive $133 million in state funding. Gov. Andrew Cuomo made the announcement Wednesday during a stop at the Port of Rochester.
Lake Ontario hovers 16 inches above its long-term average, with a bleak forecast from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
Home Energy Assistance Program is a federally funded program meant to help low-income households pay for heat during the winter.
Powerful storm is moving across the state Wednesday and into Thursday
A new report by the National Audubon Society says Pennsylvania’s state bird the ruffed grouse and New Jersey’s American goldfinch could disappear from the state.
“This is an international entity and it is going to be a difficult case for us to make. But it is a last resort, we have tried everything else. It is a cry for help from the state of New York.”
The state is putting aside $300 million to fund resiliency projects in these communities, which have seen major flooding in recent years.
There was another climate strike led by young people Friday at the Peacemaker’s Stage in Downtown Binghamton. Students from Binghamton University and Binghamton High School skipped school to attend the strike.
A retiree gives unsolicited climate emergency talks on the New York City subway, frequently receiving applause. Now he wants to teach others how to preach their own messages to a crowd.
Rafe Pomerance has been a climate activist for 40 years. As an environmental lobbyist for Friends of the Earth, he was one of the first people to agitate for bi-partisan action after reading a 1978 EPA report on coal.
Strikes are happening all over the world including in Delhi, Ithaca, Hamilton, Scranton, and Binghamton.
Strike organizers are calling on their fellow young people to skip school Friday and rally to demand greater action against climate change.
Acting administrator for the Federal Emergency Management Agency Pete Gaynor toured some of the flooding damage along the Lake Ontario shoreline.
The Army Corps of Engineers announced it doesn’t expect the water in the Great Lakes to go down too much, too soon.
NYSEG estimates fewer than 750 people were without power as of Monday afternoon. This comes after about 19,000 people lost power. Outages stretched from Elmira to Oneonta.
Video inspections of 45 pipes in Binghamton’s floodwalls are underway.
The opinion runs contrary to those people which have placed the blame on the work of an international commission.
“Maybe if they have the right conditions, they can do a nature-based shoreline approach, where they work in shoreline plants and rock rubble.”
New York State will add relief to homeowners to a program meant to rebuild and recover from record high water levels along the Lake Ontario shoreline this year.
Artists and architects from across can create a proposal for a memorial honoring the victims of Hurricane Maria.
“Sometimes while you’re doing this job, you do think, ‘Wow, I am the luckiest guy to be paid to go out on the lake.’ Even though there are some problems on the lake, it’s still wonderful to be out there.”
“We recognize that the storms will happen more and more often, become more and more severe – so this is going to be the new normal. What’s not clear yet is how intense it will be.”
It wants a shipping suspended several days a week this summer to allow more water to go through the Moses Saunders dam near Massena.
Pennsylvania faces unprecedented, deadly heat waves in the coming decades unless aggressive action is taken to combat climate change, according to a new report published Tuesday by the Union of Concerned Scientists.
Several bodies of water in central New York have reported harmful algal blooms in recent weeks. With temperatures heating up after a wet spring, conditions are ripe for the blooms.
Flooding on Lake Ontario broke records this year. A lot of shoreline residents say they’ve never seen water levels anywhere near this year’s, but in fact Lake Ontario has flooded many times before.
“It is not the governor’s desire for this funding to be used for damage assistance. It’s to improve the resiliency of the lake shore.”
“…we’ve had catastrophic flooding on the shore of Lake Ontario two out of three years,” said Rep. John Katko (R-Camillus)
“Every time it rains, every time the wind blows from the wrong direction, we’re battling to stay dry, to stay open.”
There’s a possibility of more flooding on Thursday.
“It’s going to create a road map to 2050, and it’s going to recommend regulations, incentives and a plan to really change the whole economy.”
Scientists say governments around the world need to quickly and dramatically cut greenhouse gas emissions to keep global warming below 1.5 degrees Celsius — a threshold seen as necessary to avoid the worst effects of climate change.
“If you look at the marina we’re standing in, you see the devastation. And things are particularly dire here in Fair Haven and Little Sodus Bay, because some of the critical infrastructure has collapsed.”
A man is dead after a small plane crashed near the Tri-Cities Airport in Endicott on Monday.
“We’re here today because our government representatives and public administrators promised after 2017 that this would never happen again failed to provide oversight and monitor – they need to do their jobs,”
PJM is now trying to walk a fine line between respecting states’ rights and figuring out how to incorporate their climate polices into its wholesale electricity market.
The IJC put a new management plan, Plan 2014, in place three years ago. Two out of those three years have brought severe flooding and millions of dollars in damage to the region.
There is word that the board of the International Joint Commission, the U.S. – Canadian agency that manages the waters shared by the two countries, may hold an emergency board meeting on Wednesday, to look at issues involving recent shoreline flooding.
Schumer says he’s lobbying for federal dollars to help the waterfront residents on the Southern Shore of Lake Ontario.
“Saying to people who just went through a flood in 2017. ‘Whoops. We’re going to do it again.’ That I think is harsh. Not being financially responsible for the damage that they do, that I think is harsh. Not being responsive, and fair to New Yorkers, that I think is harsh.”
The IJC “has no excuse for its failure to prepare for adequately managing the high-water levels Lake Ontario has experienced and continues to experience this year.”
Officials who help regulate the level of Lake Ontario are pointing to some hopeful signs in the effort to deal with the ongoing flooding issues along the lake shore.
“What I don’t want to do is to give people a political placebo where we put forth dates and goals that we cannot make. And I don’t want to tell people that we can move to a carbon-free economy in a period of time that I know that we can’t.”
“Many people have water in their house. We have wet basements. Trying to keep up with sump pumps so they don’t fail.”
As of Monday, the Lake Ontario level was at 249.02 feet, exceeding the record of 248.95 feet that was set in 2017.
“We don’t want anybody slipping and falling into the water. We don’t want their boats ending up on shore. So, for right now, it makes the most sense to shut the marina down.”
“We certainly have evidence flash flooding and heavy rainfall will be impacted by climate change. Whether you get tornadoes or not, there are still a lot of questions about that.”
Thwaites Glacier is roughly the size of Pennsylvania and has the potential to contribute significantly to global sea level rise — an issue of critical importance to coastal communities around the world.
“Is this the new normal? Or is this just an extended flooding event, like we had in 1993 or in the 1970s?”
St. Lawrence River Board said on Monday that water levels have reached 248.85 feet, and will likely reach or exceed the 2017 record high of 248.95 feet within the next few days.
If you’re getting an early start on the Memorial Day weekend, you may run into nasty weather Thursday.
“They’re saying ‘it’s a bad idea to put pipelines in areas where damage to the pipeline could be caused by earth movement. If you know there’s potential damage, don’t put them there.”
New York officials have declared a state of emergency for the counties along Lake Ontario as water levels continue to rise.
“They are on the front lines of not only dangerous fires, but also situations involving crime, drug overdoses, and other perilous situations.”
Fifty-one percent of respondents called climate change a “major” public health risk, 26 percent said the warming presents a “minor” risk, and 20 percent told pollsters they believe it poses no risk.
“I will be damned if the same politicians who refused to act then are going to try to come back today and say we need to find a middle-of-the-road approach to save our lives,” the congresswoman said.
The 1000 Islands International Tourism Center surveyed more than 100 businesses in 2017. It found more than 80% of them were hurt by the flooding. Some lost 40% of their business that year.
“There’s a lot of experience from 2017 that’s being used right now to know where those problem areas are and there’s preventive measures going back into those locations.”
“When you get to a point where you have flooding, by definition you have not done your job. And why they can’t release more water earlier, they’ve never answered.”
“It is a very large undertaking, but that’s where we are, and not recognizing realities, doesn’t work.”
The governor recalled the flooding which affected this part of New York State two year ago, suggesting it is time for the state to explore long-term infrastructural solutions to address a changing climate.
The reality is the old averages don’t work anymore. There is a new reality, and relying on the old numbers and the old statistics and the old averages is a fool’s errand at this point. We have to prepare for the worst case scenario.”
“Government leaders must lead by example, and businesses, farms, community organizations, and citizens can all make a difference to fight climate change.”
With concerns about rising levels on Lake Ontario, Governor Andrew Cuomo said on Sunday that he has directed state agencies to begin deploying resources to protect communities along the lakeshore.
“This is not totally out of the realm of normal conditions for this time of year; we always see rising water levels on the lake during the spring.”
BINGHAMTON, NY (WSKG) – Some Binghamton University students are pushing Congressman Anthony Brindisi to do more to address climate change.
Liat David is 19, a sophomore at the University. At a recent forum she helped organize, she said climate change has made her re-think having children. “Do I have that right as a woman that I can have a child and be proud of the earth that I live in and say that this child is going to be living in a regenerative and sustainable future?” she said. “I can’t necessarily say that right now, which is very sad to say because that is my right as a woman to say that I can have a child if I want to, but I really feel like that was taken away from me this past generation.”
Several members of the Senate Democratic Policy Committee met in Pittsburgh for a hearing on methane, the main component of natural gas and a potent greenhouse gas that contributes to climate change.
The ramifications of the petition could be politically significant– allowing major climate policy to be implemented without new legislation.
We’re only talking about a few degrees of warming. Why is that such a big deal?
Pennsylvanians are growing increasingly concerned about climate change and want the state to do more to address it, according to a new poll conducted by Franklin & Marshall College in partnership with PA Post.
“The real challenge with the Green Amendment is that it may not even mean anything, but even if it does it could take decades for it to become meaningful.”
Timofey Yuriev talks about his miraculous rescue of two other dogs that was captured on video.
The GOP-controlled Senate will vote on a Democratic resolution led by New York freshman Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez that calls for the U.S. to reach zero net carbon emissions within 10 years.
The researchers conclude that because of rapid effects of climate change, the Great Lakes are vulnerable to more flooding, heat waves, and drought.
With Lake Ontario’s water levels about a foot above average, communities along its shoreline are trying to get help in preventing floods.
“Every time there’s a disaster in Pennsylvania, it’s a hit to the state’s taxpayers.”
If climate change continues at it’s current rate, New York City will feel as warm as northern Arkansas in 2080, a new study predicts.
The lake’s water level is higher than average right now, and residents have blamed it on poor management and regulation, but there might be another factor.
A number of federal lawmakers are concerned that high water levels on Lake Ontario will result in a repeat of the flooding seen along the lake shore in 2017.
Cornell University has received over $68 million from the United States Department of Agriculture to build a new federal research facility for grape genetics. The site will be in Geneva, New York, home to ongoing collaborations between Cornell and the USDA.
Sunday’s fierce wind storm knocked out power to thousands of customers across Western New York. Utility crews are assessing the damage from the severe windstorm. More 44,000 customers remain without power as of Monday afternoon.
Last summer, heavy rains caused flooding across New York and Pennsylvania.Some farmers saw extensive damage to their crops. Federal help is available for some of those folks.
The city sought reimbursement for vehicles it said were damaged by Sandy. But many of them were already “junk” years before the storm, according to a settlement.
According to the International Lake Ontario – St. Lawrence River Board, Lake Ontario is more than a foot higher than usual for this time of year.
Wallace Broecker was an early advocate for reducing fossil fuels to avoid the disruptive effects of climate change and brought the term “global warming” into the mainstream.
The New York State Senate began a series of hearings on climate change Tuesday. Democrats who lead the chamber back a measure to eliminate all greenhouse gas emissions in New York by 2050, but that may come into conflict with a program being pushed by Gov. Andrew Cuomo.
The ban on tractor trailers and commercial buses on the New York State Thruway in Western New York because of hazardous weather conditions has been lifted.
As residents of the mid-Atlantic and Midwest stayed indoors this week to avoid the Arctic air that swept the region, they used a lot of electricity and natural gas to keep warm.
With frigid temperatures and dangerous wind chills affecting central and northern New York over the next few days, health officials are warning residents how to stay safe in subzero temperatures.
New York is getting hit with an Arctic blast that, combined with strong winds, is causing dangerously cold wind chills, along with lake effect snow that could add up to four feet in some spots around the North Country.
“Some places could see wind chill readings as low as 60 below zero,” the postal service said as it halted delivery for a day in parts of the Great Plains and Midwest.
With wind chills as low as 25 below zero in the next couple of days, local advocates for animals are worried about pets who are normally kept outdoors.
The National Weather Service warned of a “very dangerous” cold air mass, prompting governors to declare emergencies and school districts to shut down.
The storm is bringing snow, ice, freezing rain and arctic air to much of the East Coast.
Power restoration continues throughout Western New York and the Finger Lakes after a New Year’s windstorm that brought gusts of more than 60 mph.
A worst-case explosion of the Mariner East 2 pipeline in PA’s Delaware County would kill anyone within about a mile of the rupture, a new report says, but it concludes the chances of someone dying from a pipeline incident are less than that of dying in a car crash or from falling down stairs.
State Auditor General Eugene DePasquale is planning a special report examining Pennsylvania’s response to climate change.
Today is Giving Tuesday, and breweries across the region are joining a nationwide effort to raise money for victims of the Camp Fire in northern California. Hundreds of breweries are making the exact same beer recipe and donating the proceeds.
ROCHESTER, NY (WXXI) – Cornell University is offering a new, interactive, online tool to help people track climate change in their own counties.
ROCHESTER, NY (WXXI) – A major disaster declaration has been issued for seven counties that sustained serious damage during severe storms and flash flooding in August.
ROCHESTER, NY (WXXI) – Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Tuesday blamed upstate weather for New York’s continuing population decline, a day after his Republican challenger said Cuomo’s economic policies had failed to stanch the flow of migrants heading to other states.
Parts of the Southern Tier are again under a state of emergency due to rain and flooding. Tioga County is under a state of emergency due to flash flooding from the overnight rain that are the result of Hurricane Florence.
SYRACUSE, NY (WRVO) – A hot and humid end of summer could result in dampened fall colors in parts of New York this fall.
A special task force of NYPD and New York Fire Department members are assisting in efforts to save people caught up in the wind and waters of Hurricane Florence. They left New York on Sept. 11.
The storm gained winds of 140 mph — a day earlier than predicted, and it is expected to intensify as it crosses over water. Forecasters predict Florence will hit the Eastern Seaboard on Thursday.
STATE IMPACT PENNSYLVANIA – Beaver County resident Chuck Belczyk, who lives across the street from where a natural gas pipeline exploded Monday morning, shot this video of the resulting fire.
Fellow farmers helped Erik Landowne at Blue Heron Farm quickly harvest an onion crop before it could begin to rot.
ROCHESTER, NY (WXXI) – Even when the skies have been relatively clear in recent days, you may have still seen what looked like some of those wispy, cirrus clouds in New York. But what you may have actually been seeing is smoke from wildfires in Canada.
People are still displaced following recent flash floods in New York and Pennsylvania. The Red Cross of the Southern Tier said they sheltered nearly 140 people in several affected counties. The Red Cross is distributing recovery materials and food at Five Mile Point fire station in Kirkwood this weekend.
Volunteers from the American Red Cross will offer free flood relief services and supplies at the Five Mile Point Fire Department in Kirkwood on Saturday, Sunday and Monday from 10AM to 3PM.
STATE IMPACT PENNSYLVANIA – Last month, Pennsylvania saw the most recorded rainfall in a July. For many farmers in the state, the intense precipitation is part of a pattern of weather changes to which they hope to adapt.
Stacy Mulford grabbed two bins of supplies the Lodi Fire Department was distributing for people affected by the flood. She wasn’t home when the flood hit Tuesday, but her daughter was until folks came by banging on the door. “Get out! Get out, now!”
VESTAL, NY (WSKG)— Recent heavy rains have led to flash flooding in parts of the Southern Tier and Northern Pennsylvania including in Seneca and Bradford counties.
Things appear to be calming down at a small reservoir in Hancock after a State of Emergency was declared on Monday.
Shelters at the Watkins Glen High School Fieldhouse, Harpursville Baptist Church and Ovid Federated Church are open to people dealing with flooding.
Red Cross has shut down shelters in Harpursville, Ovid, Vestal and Watkins Glen. They are still operating them in Conklin. The Salvation Army has deployed a feeding truck to Ovid and Lodi, where 50 people were trapped in their homes Tuesday.
ROCHESTER, NY (WXXI) – Heavy rains are causing problems in parts of the Finger Lakes on Tuesday morning. Some of the heaviest rain and worst flood appears to be in Seneca County. The Seneca County Sheriff’s dept. says that heavy rain has resulted in major flooding in the Towns of Covert, and Lodi.
Utilities need to be acting now to better prepare for severe weather, an expert said
This week is starting out hot. Highs on Monday are in the lower 90’s and much of the region is under a heat advisory until tonight. After that, things start to cool down.
The heat waves, droughts, floods and wildfires impacting the Northern Hemisphere represent “the face of climate change,” says Michael Mann, a professor of atmospheric science at Penn State University.
Rain has caused flooding across part of New York and Pennsylvania, but for farmers it’s a welcome sight.
ROCHESTER, NY (WXXI) – Governor Cuomo says around 500 SUNY and CUNY students are in Puerto Rico to help the island rebuild, ten months after devastating hurricanes.
ROCHESTER, NY (WXXI) – As temperatures remain steady about 90 degrees, some emergency rooms in the region have seen more patients coming in with heat related illness.
ROCHESTER, NY (WXXI) – Area utilities are encouraging customers to conserve power during the heat wave since it puts additional strain on the power grid.
STATE IMPACT PENNSYLVANIA – Summer is officially here. And if you’ve noticed the long hot days are hotter than in the past, you’re right. Federal data backs it up. Average daily temperatures across all parts of all 50 states have risen since the late 1980s. Saturday marks the 30-year anniversary of climate scientist Jim Hansen warning the U.S. Congress of a warming planet.
ROCHESTER, NY (WXXI) – A new report attempts to explain the causes of last year’s flooding along the south shore of Lake Ontario.
Rising seas threaten hundreds of thousands of homes along the U.S. coasts, putting at risk a lot more than real estate.
WILKES-BARRE, PA (ASSOCIATED PRESS) — A strong storm has pounded parts of Pennsylvania, damaging buildings, overturning cars and downing trees and power lines.
ROCHESTER, NY (WXXI) – It looks like Lake Ontario may have already reached its peak high for the season, which is good news for lakefront home owners and business owners.
A warming planet means some migrating birds miss mealtime.
SYRACUSE, NY (WRVO) – A year ago, Lake Ontario began an unprecedented climb that resulted in record water levels and catastrophic flooding for those on its shoreline. The lake’s levels are currently 16 inches below where they were in May of 2017, but still eight inches above the long-term average.
STATE IMPACT PENNSYLVANIA – Researchers from Penn State University will be part of a major, international effort to better understand an Antarctic glacier, dubbed the “doomsday glacier” for its potential to contribute significantly to global sea level rise.
North Country Public Radio’s Brian Mann is a die-hard skier, and sent an audio postcard from New York’s Adirondack Mountains.
STATE IMPACT PENNSYLVANIA – Six months after Hurricane Maria tore through Puerto Rico, 200,000 residents still lack electricity, the mayor of the island’s capital city told a crowded Carnegie Mellon University ballroom Wednesday night. Carmen Yulín Cruz, who received a master’s degree from CMU in the 1980s, came back to the campus to speak at “Energy Week” alongside Pittsburgh’s mayor. She said the situation in Puerto Rico is still dire for many. “You have no idea what it is to spend months and months and months with not a flicker of light,” she said. “We don’t want energy to be able to bathe in warm water or to have air conditioning, we want it so our children can go to school.
STATE IMPACT PENNSYLVANIA – Across Pennsylvania, four in 10 registered voters say they have personally experienced problems related to climate change, according to a recent poll from StateImpact Pennsylvania and Franklin & Marshall College.
SYRACUSE, NY (WRVO) – New York state lawmakers have included $40 million dollars in this year’s budget to help property owners who are still cleaning up from last year’s flooding along Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence River.
ROCHESTER, NY (WXXI) – Governor Andrew Cuomo is asking the International Joint Commission to maximize outflows of water from Lake Ontario.
STATE IMPACT PENNSYLVANIA – A majority of Pennsylvania voters agree with the scientific consensus that climate change is causing problems right now, and more than two-thirds say the state should be doing more to address it, according to a Franklin & Marshall College/StateImpact Pennsylvania poll released Thursday.
ITHACA, NY (WSKG) – A Trumansburg carpenter has just begun to help with Puerto Rico’s recovery from Hurricane Maria.
“We need to honor the victims of school shootings with change. We need to honor them with policy,” said Lena Kennell, sophomore at Newfield High School. “We can make a difference even if we can’t vote.”
Hundreds of Ithaca High School students walked out of school at 10:00am to raise awareness about the effects of gun violence. They invited parents, teachers and community members to join them for 17 minutes, one minute for each victim of the Parkland, Florida shooting one month ago.
Students in the Southern Tier plan to walk out of their classrooms later this morning to raise awareness about the effects of gun violence. The protest is exactly one month after the Parkland, Florida shooting.
SYRACUSE (WRVO) – Water levels in the Great Lakes basin are once again higher than normal, similar to what happened last year ahead of the historic flooding that occurred along Lake Ontario’s southern shore. Federal and state officials are working to avoid a repeat, but some say it’s not enough.
ROCHESTER (WXXI) – Rallies across New York State were held Saturday to call on the federal government for continued support in Puerto Rico.
ROCHESTER (WXXI) – New York Governor Andrew Cuomo is calling for a federal agency to take emergency action to help residents along the Lake Ontario and St. Lawrence River shorelines deal with flooding problems.
BUFFALO (WBFO) – The Marshall Island flagged Federal Biscay was finally dislodged from ice in the Snell lock near Massena this weekend. St. Lawrence Seaway crews, including three tugs, had worked for five days to move the massive international freighter. It was blocking passage for four other ships on their way down the St. Lawrence River to Montreal as the Seaway tries to close for the winter.
SYRACUSE (WRVO) – As communities in upstate like Oswego continue to get pounded by the relentless snowfall, some are running out of space to put it. One controversial option for municipalities is disposing some snow into waterways. That was the case for Oswego when nearly three feet of snow fell on the night before December 27. It prompted Mayor Billy Barlow declared a state of emergency. Oswego had filled its two snowbank reservoirs, but the snow was still piling up.
GREAT LAKES TODAY – Prolonged arctic cold is wreaking havoc on the maritime industry across the Great Lakes. The latest problem: A commercial freighter is stuck in ice in a lock near Massena, N.Y., and it’s preventing the St. Lawrence Seaway from closing for the winter. The St. Lawrence Seaway Development Corp.
GREAT LAKES TODAY – Over the past two winters, there wasn’t much ice cover on the Great Lakes. That changed with this month’s deep freeze. Frigid temperatures have frozen more than 40 percent of Lake Erie’s surface, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration or NOAA. Scientists there predict ice cover could jump to almost 90 percent by Sunday. This time last year, ice barely covered 2 percent of the lake.
SYRACUSE (WRVO) – One Central New York non-profit organization is concerned about how horses are faring during this cold snap. Rescue horses munch on carrots in the huge barn that’s part of The Haven at Skanda, an organization in Cazanovia that cares for rescue horses and farm animals. Executive Director Ellen Beckerman says horses will need extra protection this winter. “We’re concerned that this winter temperature-wise is much more challenging than last winter, for example, so then it can be difficult,” said Beckerman. “Horses that can do okay in a lean-to in an ordinary winter might not now be okay with that.”
Frigid temperatures can be dangerous for horses on a couple of fronts, according to Beckerman.
A one-two punch of bitter cold temperatures and Winter Storm Grayson, a so-called ‘bomb cyclone’ moving up the Atlantic Coast, will stress the electrical grid in Pennsylvania and much of the Northeast this week. But the region’s grid operator says it’s better prepared to deal with the winter misery because of recent experiences with extreme winter weather. Read full story here.
New York state has already had bitterly cold temperatures this week. That includes the Southern Tier and the lates forecast say that will continue. This weekend will bring us more than a New Year. For those traveling, David Morford, Senior Forecaster for the National Weather Service in Binghamton, has advice about road conditions. He says temperatures during the day could be in the single digits or low teens and drop below zero at night. With the windchill, people should use extra caution.
GREAT LAKES TODAY – Over the past two winters, the Great Lakes have had a below-average ice cover. And that’s expected to continue this year. One of ice climatologist Jia Wang’s biggest jobs is the annual ice cover prediction for the Great Lakes. He’s with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration office in Michigan, which tracks ice cover throughout the winter. Video: Salt mine lies 1,800 feet below Lake Erie.
New York Reps. John Katko (R-Camillus) and Tom Reed (R-Corning) expect that Congress will support a financial aid package for the victims of Hurricane Harvey when they return to Washington, D.C. next month. Reed says it’s too early to determine how much money will be needed to assist the nation’s fourth-largest city, where the storm has devastated the area. But he says it could be a significant amount since Congress appropriated tens of billions of dollars after Hurricane Sandy ravaged the northeast. “As we stood with the Sandy aid victims, we are going to stand with the families and individuals of Texas and make sure we come up with a package of what is clearly a need that our fellow American citizens need in this time of devastation,” Reed said.
A private school in Tioga county needs close to $100,000 in repairs after flooding early last week. Clean-up work at is underway, but the school does not have flood insurance, despite its location along a creek. North Spencer Christian Academy filled with nearly 100 volunteers after the flood water receded. They removed debris, and now they’re vacuuming up the last traces of water. Cris Pasto vacuums muddy water off stairs leading to the school’s lower level.
Parts of Tompkins and Tioga counties are still dealing with flood damage from last week’s storms. Heavy rains caused road closures and states of emergency in several towns. At North Spencer Christian Academy, water levels reached five and a half feet. Volunteers have been working to clean up the 75-student private school building since the flood. In the first few days, they gutted parts of the first level and tore out the wood gym floor. Now they’re shoveling gravel back into place around the foundation and vacuuming traces of water out of the gym.
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The warehouse where Broome County stores its electronic voting machines has experienced several flooding incidents within the last two years. County Executive Debbie Preston announced plans to move the voting machines from sites in Vestal to the former Ramp Industries building on Floral Avenue in Binghamton in 2012. The decision was presented as a cost-saving measure. The minority leader of the Broome County legislature, Jason Garnar, says he found out about flooding that has occurred at the site since then from county workers.