Transcript: Governor Hochul is a Guest on News 12

Earlier today, Governor Kathy Hochul was a guest on News 12. The Governor updated New Yorkers on the brush fires in Long Island, and declared a state of emergency to prioritize the deployment of resources toward fire suppression and necessary evacuations.

AUDIO: The Governor’s remarks are available in audio form here.

A rush transcript of the Governor’s remarks is available below:

Thema Ponton, News 12: Governor,  thank you for joining us this afternoon.

Governor Hochul: No, thank you. A very, very serious situation we're dealing with on Long Island, and I appreciate the great coverage that News 12 has been giving of this really difficult situation where the winds are just our enemy, and they're creating havoc in the communities along — people in Brookhaven right now, and we're seeing people having to be evacuated from the West Hampton area. Early on this afternoon, I had the DOT shut down a number of highways, and we're just really very concerned.

Our main focus has been really the immediate fire suppression and resource development: getting in the fighting personnel, the equipment, the National Guard is there — the National Guard, in fact, is in the air providing air support, and I've deployed, actually, four Blackhawks, and one right now is dumping 660 gallon buckets as we speak, because we're going to do the very best we can to suppress this. That is our most urgent concern, as well as public safety; we may be involving people in more evacuations.

So, for these reasons, I am declaring a state of emergency that will allow us to deploy resources as quickly as possible, and I'm working very closely with County Executive Ed Romaine. I'm working with our Supervisors, who I just spoke with, Panico and Moore. — they're on the grounds right now and I'm getting images sent directly from them. So, it's an “all hands on deck” approach here, and I have resources from the Office of Emergency Management, Office of Fire Prevention, the DOT, DEC, State Parks, State Police. We are putting everybody on this so we can get the fire under control and make sure that our public is safe.

Thema Ponton, News 12: Governor, what can you tell us about how many acres you know that this fire is? How much of it has been suppressed up until this point?

Governor Hochul: It has not been suppressed. I mean, this is still out of control at this moment. The winds are just wreaking havoc on this situation, as you've been reporting. The winds could be upward of 36 miles an hour.

And it doesn't take much — we saw with the Southern Pine Beetle that just infested the Pine Barrens along the Sunrise Highway, and that's the real area of vulnerability. But the problem is it's not just that area. It is approaching the Gabreski Airport — we've had to evacuate, we’re starting evacuations there — and Amazon facility, and other facilities, and even a few homes that we've already lost, and that is the concern.

I think everyone has the image of the Palisades in California just in the forefront of their minds, and, so, we have to do everything we can to prevent that scenario and be prepared for major evacuations. So I want to, again, thank you for keeping the public informed, but everybody needs to be staying tuned right now because the situation could change very quickly.

Thema Ponton, News 12: Absolutely. Governor, if I could just ask you to go back for a second. Did you say that some homes had been lost?

Governor Hochul: At least one or two that I'm aware of already, and there are a number in harm's way.

Thema Ponton, News 12: This is just terrible news to hear as we're taking a look right now at some of these images here. Governor, also tell us what does this state of emergency mean? How is this going to directly impact Long Islanders? What do they need to know about it?

Governor Hochul: It allows us as a state, and localities, to be able to bypass traditional procurement measures. We can get resources on the ground immediately. I'm also very concerned about air quality. If you recall the Quebec fires — from a few years ago — New York City had the worst air quality on the planet for a number of days, and for people in nursing homes and children; I want to make sure that if we need to, we get masks out, we're checking up on people in nearby nursing homes and senior facilities.

So everybody needs to be thinking about themselves, their neighbors, but whatever they can do to protect their homes. This may be contained in the next day or two, but we also are very smart to prepare for the worst case scenarios so everybody can remain safe regardless of what happens.

God bless our firefighters. Most of these people are volunteers, and they are just putting their lives on the line for their neighbors and this is why we just cherish them so much.

Thema Ponton, News 12: Absolutely, our hearts go out to these volunteers. Governor, can you tell us where that home was that was lost?

Governor Hochul: I don't have the exact location, but I know there's communities in West Hampton that are vulnerable right now. We'll work on getting that location for you.

Thema Ponton, News 12: Absolutely, we appreciate that. And you said there may be some more evacuations. Governor, let me ask you, as we start to get closer to it being dark, what are your concerns here as the day and night goes on?

Governor Hochul: Oh, we don't know if the wind is going to pick up or die down. Again, it is wildly unpredictable. The forecast may say it is decreasing, but it doesn't take much wind to continue the spread and it just feeds on, again, these trees that have been taken down by the infestation of the beetles — we've seen that. I mean, every time I go there, it's heartbreaking to see what has happened already, but now, that is just a cinder for a huge fire, and that is our concern that this could spread and spread to other areas.

And the more individual fires we have — I believe there's four right now — then it also diffuses our resources, right? We have to be focused on putting out each fire, but if they rise in different areas then we have to send other people there. But thank God we have about 50 volunteer fire companies working tirelessly and we have mutual aid agreements. I can bring in people from all over the state and even indeed other other states if we need them. But, right now we're working closely in coordination with the Emergency Operations Center. I may be going there tomorrow depending on what the situation on the ground is, but we are there with everything from air support, to ground support, to whatever resources we can give to keep Long Islanders safe.

Thema Ponton, News 12: Governor, we appreciate that. As we watch this unfold, we saw one video from a helicopter that just shows how massive this fire is. What can you share with us about the acreage or just the expanse of this fire?

Governor Hochul: It's spreading very quickly. This started a few hours ago, and now it has multiple renditions of it. It's not just one fire that we can keep an eye on, it is spreading to different pockets and all triggered by the high winds and the dry, dry conditions and, again, the many trees from the Pine Barrens area that are on the ground are cinder for this. So, we're concerned about the Amazon facility, we're concerned about Gabreski Airport right now, and a chemical plant in the area.

So, these are the areas where we are aware of them. Everyone knows what's in each building — this is what the fire companies do, the state knows this — and we have to be very careful. Again, air quality is of concern as well. People need to be sure that they're taken care of. If they still have N95 masks from the pandemic, or there's ways they can keep a wet towel around their mouth and protect themselves, their kids and their pets. If it starts getting closer, you need to start focusing on air quality and possibly an evacuation.

So, everybody needs to be watching social media reports from government sources, watch for text messages, watch for all the emergency alerts — but, I have officially declared a state of emergency right now.

Thema Ponton, News 12: And Governor Hochul, if I can ask you, we have seen some pictures and video from people who said they could see this smoke all the way from Connecticut. Have you been in touch with governors from any of the neighboring states? Have you heard from other people who have been impacted by this?

Governor Hochul: I'm getting video from people right on the ground and it looks devastating. Elected officials are sending me videos; people that are getting up close to it; our supervisors are sharing this with myself and my team. So, if I need additional assistance from other states, I will absolutely call on them and we're just assessing our needs right now. But, again, they're looking at a fire that is close to our residents, and that is a dangerous, dangerous situation on many levels, and everybody has to be staying focused on their own homes, their families, and their communities.

Thema Ponton, News 12: Absolutely. New York Governor Kathy Hochul joining us live this afternoon. Governor, thank you for your time. We will continue to check back in with you, as hopefully this fire gets put out sooner rather than later.

Governor Hochul: Absolutely. Thank you so much for all your attention. You're doing a great job.

Thema Ponton, News 12: Thank you, Governor, for your time. We'll let you get back to work to help the people of New York.