Governor Andrew Cuomo will leave office at 11:59 p.m. on Monday, and his last few days were spent leading storm response efforts largely without his successor. The governor resigned amid allegations of sexual harassment, which were brought by nearly a dozen women.
Over the weekend, though, Cuomo took a seemingly different approach than the one previously applied to natural disasters. “There’s only so much we can do. It’s up to you,” Cuomo said. “You know the areas that are going to flood. You know the areas that Sandy affected, Irene affected, Lee affected. Please act responsibly.”
The storm dropped record-breaking rainfall on the New York City area, and resulted in some evacuations in parts of downstate New York.
The head-scratcher for many was the lack of engagement with Lt. Gov. Hochul, who he said was being briefed. As she readied to take office, many expected Hochul to take the lead on storm response, or simply be part of those executive efforts out of Albany.
“I am governor today and I am in charge,” Cuomo said when pressed about why Hochul wasn’t involved.
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