WHEREAS, beginning on August 21, 1995, wildfires have threatened the public health and safety and have endangered improved property in pine barren areas situated in the Towns of Brookhaven and Riverhead, Suffolk County; and,
WHEREAS, these fires have resulted in the evacuation of individuals and injury to response personnel as well as economic hardship to the affected communities; and,
WHEREAS, climatological and weather conditions are such that wildfires will continue to pose a threat to the public health and safety;
NOW, THEREFORE, I, GEORGE E. PATAKI, Governor of the State of New York, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and Laws of the State of New York, do hereby find that a disaster has occurred for which the affected local governments are unable to respond adequately. Therefore, pursuant to the authority vested in me by the Constitution of the State of New York and Section 28 of Article 2-B of the Executive Law, I hereby declare a State Disaster Emergency effective August 21, 1995, within the territorial boundaries of Suffolk County and contiguous areas.
Further, pursuant to Section 29 of Article 2-B of the Executive Law, I direct the implementation of the State Disaster Preparedness Plan effective August 21, 1995, and hereby authorize the Department of Environmental Conservation, the Office of Fire, Prevention and Control, the State Emergency Management Office and other State agencies as necessary, to take appropriate action to protect State property, to assist those affected local governments and individuals in responding to and recovering from this disaster, and to provide such other assistance as necessary to protect the public health and safety.
Signed: George E. Pataki
Dated: August 24, 1995
Footnotes
* [Revoked by Executive Order No. 5 (Eliot Spitzer), infra.] [Revoked by Executive Order No. 9 (David A. Paterson), infra.] [Revoked by Executive Order No. 2 (Andrew M. Cuomo), infra.]
N.Y. Comp. Codes R. & Regs. Tit. 9 § 5.16