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Governor Andrew M. Cuomo announced Tuesday that New York stands prepared to assist the states currently forecasted to be impacted by Hurricane Michael in any way possible, in terms of both preparation and recovery. While it is still uncertain whether the impacts of Hurricane Michael will reach the northeast, Governor Cuomo is urging New Yorkers to prepare for heavy rains, as well as the potential for flash flooding, in the event that the storm tracks in the state's direction.

"New York is no stranger to the devastation that can come at the hands of Mother Nature and we stand ready to assist our neighbors to the south in any way we can as Hurricane Michael approaches," Governor Cuomo said. "We will continue to monitor the development of this storm, and even as its impact on the northeast remains unclear at this time, I urge New Yorkers to take the necessary precautions should the storm's remnants reach our region."

Hurricane Michael is currently moving northwestward through the southern Gulf of Mexico and is forecast to become a major Hurricane by Wednesday morning. The storm is moving toward the north and tracking to move inland over the Florida Panhandle or Florida Big Bend on Wednesday, then move northeastward across the southeastern United States Wednesday night and Thursday. Eastern and southeastern portions of New York are forecast to experience showers with locally heavy downpours late Wednesday night into Thursday due to tropical moisture. The heaviest of the rainfall will occur Thursday and could be heavy at times, with some urban, low lying and poor drainage flooding possible. The potential for heavy rainfall ends Thursday night. Current tracking shows Michael moving just south of Long Island on Friday as a post-tropical storm. However, there remains uncertainty regarding Michael's strength, track and timing as it nears the northeast and thus any impacts are still uncertain.

Florida Emergency Management has begun to assess the need for Type II Swift Water Rescue Teams through the Emergency Management Assistance Compact (EMAC). New York stands ready, and has offered through EMAC, to deploy a Type II Swift Water Rescue Team consisting of 15 personnel and equipment, should the state's assistance be required.

NY-Alert warns citizens of critical information and emergencies and provides timely information to protect lives. Warnings and emergency information can be directed to a phone call, email, text message or fax.

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