Audio & Rush Transcript: Governor Hochul Cautions New Yorkers of Dangerous Heat Conditions Expected Throughout the State Later This Week

"Good afternoon. The last three weeks have been the hottest recorded in Earth's history. And right here in New York, we're feeling the effects of the extreme weather, extreme flooding. We had a thousand-year flooding event in part of our state in the Hudson Valley not long ago. We are here in Oswego, in Central New York, where we had a 100-year flood in 2017 and another 100-year flood in 2019 on Lake Erie. So, we are constantly being ravaged by the impacts of extreme weather and climate change.

Tomorrow and Friday we're expecting the real feel of temperature in New York City, Long Island, and the Mid-Hudson area of being over 105. This is extreme even for some of the parts of our country where we're seeing these numbers, but for New York State, this is highly unusual. And at this time, we're putting out heat advisories that'll be in effect all the way through Friday night. It won't be quite as bad here in Upstate New York, but we expect to see temperatures exceeding over 90 degrees. And the real feel on your skin, for your body, it's going to feel over 95 degrees.

So this puts people who are already at risk in more risk, in more danger - children, babies, seniors, people with respiratory challenges. And so we want to make sure people know that our state agencies are preparing to respond, provide resources. But here's what we can do individually. Stay indoors between the hours of 11 and four, hopefully in an air-conditioned setting. Avoid the sun overall. If you have to be outside, wear plenty of sunscreen. Hydrate. Have water with you. Have water in your car, have water if you're walking down the street or going to the park. Something that might be a normal activity could be strenuous for you under these extreme temperatures.

And again, we're not as accustomed to it in many parts of our state, particularly Upstate New York. And never leave your children or your pets in a car. We have too many tragedies where people think they're just going to run into a store and be out momentarily. They get detained, and all of a sudden there's devastating consequences. Temperature can become very dangerous very quickly.

Know where the cooling centers are if you need to take advantage of this. We're putting out resources identifying all the cooling areas. And again, call 911 if you're starting to feel overwhelmed by the heat and get some medical attention immediately because it can be life threatening.

Again, extreme temperatures here in New York State, particularly Downstate, Long Island, Hudson Valley, and New York City, where the feel of temperature on each individual will be over 105 degrees. These are dangerous conditions, very serious, and I want to make sure that warning gets out to everyone."

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