N.Y.’s ‘masters of disasters’ and ‘seismic’ budget talks

Plus, your Capitol guide to Monday's eclipse, and Hochul's Thruway nominee gets a hearing

Good afternoon — it’s Friday, and Deep Dish Pizza Day. 🤮

FRIDAY, APRIL 5, 2024

TODAY’S CAPCON:

• Earthquake summons New York’s “masters of disasters”

• Will Hochul and lawmakers finish the state budget next week?

• Your Capitol guide to Monday’s eclipse 😎

• Hochul’s Thruway nominee to get Senate hearing

• Numbers of New York: 7,584,758

🔨 Is Monday a Session Day? Yes for the Senate. No for the Assembly.

☁️ Tonight’s Weather: Albany: Chance of rain, low 30s. New York City: Mostly cloudy, low 40s (National Weather Service)

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Hochul spoke to reporters at the Capitol Friday. (Dan Clark/Times Union)

🫨 New York’s “masters of disasters” warn of aftershocks, assessing damage statewide

🚨 Friday’s 4.8 magnitude earthquake in New Jersey rumbled New York City and parts of upstate New York, and aftershocks may be on the way.

It was the strongest earthquake in New York since 2011, Gov. Kathy HOCHUL said.

“Here in the state of New York we are masters of disasters,” Hochul said. “We are always ready. We have planning in place, all of our teams activate instantaneously.”

No major damage has been reported from the earthquake aside from a gas leak in Rockland County, said Jackie Bray, commissioner of the state Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Services.

“Other than that, there doesn’t seem to be any major infrastructure impacts,” she said.

• They’ll be in touch with counties over the next few days to assess any damage that resulted from the quake.

Aftershocks are possible over the next few days, but they’re also unpredictable, Bray said. If you feel one, Hochul recommended dropping to the ground and holding onto something immovable.

• The state sent out an emergency alert about an hour and a half later, warning of the potential for aftershocks.

I felt the rumble in the Capitol, so I can only imagine what it felt like in New York City. 

Mayor Eric ADAMS and his administration said residents of the five boroughs shouldn’t be too worried about the earthquake. 

• “New Yorkers should go about their normal day,” Adams said.

• But his administration, like the state, will continue to assess potential damage.

New York is no stranger to earthquakes. Check out the damage caused by this one in 2022!

💵 Will Hochul and the Legislature finish the budget next week?

🪙 Hochul said she felt the earthquake in the state Capitol, where she was meeting with top members of her staff on state budget talks.

“I was meeting with my senior team, talking about their late night working on the budget, and we were talking about how we’re going to move the budget forward today,” she said.