Broome State of Emergency Over/ Caution Still Recommended While Traveling
Four days after it was issued, Broome County has lifted the State of Emergency put in place when a late season winter storm dumped several inches of heavy, wet snow on the region bringing down trees and numerous power lines.
A ban on travel was put into place post-storm to be replaced hours by an advisory, recommending motorists avoid travel unless absolutely necessary as debris continued to litter streets and downed wires were still reported around Broome County through April 22.
That Travel Advisory has been lifted by the county as of noon April 22.
In a statement from County Executive Jason Garnar's office, caution was still being recommended. Officials said: All roads have been made safe, but drivers are encouraged to continue using caution on the roads as some debris may still be near roadway and crews will be continuing to work on finishing cleanup over the next week."
As of midday April 22, Broome County reported 40 thousand pounds of dry ice and 63 pallets of bottled water were delivered to distribution points over the week with supplies still being made available at these eight locations.
Conklin Fire Station
Chenango Fire Station 2
Deposit Fire Station
Glen Aubrey Fire Station
Union Center Fire Station
Windsor Fire Station
Maine Memorial Elementary
Vestal Town Hall
Residents still in need should contact their closest distribution point for pickup times.
Late Friday afternoon, New York State Electric and Gas reported the number of residents in Broome County without service had fallen below 2,000 with restoration expected during the evening.
NYSEG said Chenango County had the most of its customers still without power as of 4 p.m. April 22 at over 3,000. The Utility anticipated those residents, most of them in the Oxford area, would have service restored by 11 p.m.
Broome County Executive Jason Garnar categorized the storm as the worst disaster concerning power interruption in the county's history.
There were no major injuries directly contributed to the storm according to official reports.