Andrew Cuomo State of the State

Environmentalists are going after New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo—in Iowa.

Hydraulic fracking opponents published an ad in The Des Moines Register Tuesday urging the governor to take a lead role in climate issues and shoot down the controversial gas drilling technique in New York.

The ad warns the governor that his decision will be scrutinized for years to come.

“Governor Cuomo, America is looking to you,” it declares. “Stand up for people over pollution. Don’t allow a single fracked shale gas well in New York. This is your chance to be a national leader on climate. Your choice will be remembered forever.”

The state Department of Environmental Conservation is expected to issue regulations regarding fracking at the end of the February. There is currently a moratorium on fracking in New York State. The DEC has held several hearings on the issue and has received thousands of comments on the Draft Supplemental Generic Environmental Impact Statement (SGEIS), which was issued in 2009.

The ad, which was paid for by nonprofit environmental advocacy group Food & Water Watch, Greenpeace and Center for Biological Diversity, is a preemptive strike by environmentalists who expect the New York governor to run for president in 2016.

Cuomo addressed the ad, saying, “I’m not going to read it because I’m not going to be in Des Moines,” according to the New York Daily News. The governor also said he doesn’t intend to visit Iowa in the near future.

House damaged by Hurricane Sandy. (Photo: Dan O’Regan)

Superstorm Sandy survivors trying to rebuild their homes now have another roadblock to deal with—late insurance reimbursement checks.

A New York State Department of Financial Services investigation found that $200 million in insurance funds requested by hurricane survivors have yet make it to homeowners. As of Jan. 27, banks representing 95 percent of the state were withholding funds for 6,611 borrowers, totaling $208 million. And the four largest banks—Wells Fargo, Bank of America, Citibank and JP Morgan Chase—have yet to disperse 4,159 checks worth $131 million, according to the agency.

“After insurance companies have sent homeowners checks to pay for repairs, the money should not be sitting with the bank because of red tape,” Gov. Andrew Cuomo said. “Banks need to use maximum discretion to get money into homeowners’ hands as quickly as possible.”

In December, the state was successful in freeing up a portion of insurance funds from banks, but now officials realize that funds aren’t moving quickly enough into the accounts of those who need it, according to Department of Financial Services Superintendent Benjamin Lawsky.

“While we understand there are some limits on how banks release funds, we want to make sure that they are pushing those limits and getting insurance money out quickly,” he said. “We will work with Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to reduce barriers to the flow of insurance funds.”

There are several factors that have contributed to the delay. For some homeowners, checks are issued jointly to them and their bank or mortgage servicer, which requires the bank to endorse the check before homeowners have access to it. Federal rules from Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac also stipulate that banks receive proof of repair work before releasing money to homeowners.

In response to the findings, the financial services department sent a letter to banks and mortgage servicers recommending that they provide easily accessible information on their websites describing the procedures required to release funds and to immediately release all funds designated by the insurance company as “emergency” or “advance” funds.

Plow truck moving through Long Island Saturday morning. (Photo credit: Michael Damm)

More than 100 abandoned cars are still littered on major roadways in Suffolk County as emergency crews continue to clear roadways and officials reopen highways temporarily shut down by the dangerous winter storm that rocked Long Island.

From central Suffolk to the East End, emergency crews, many who have been at it for 24 hours, are maneuvering plows across the county to make roadways passable for drivers.

Officials said major highways—the Long Island Expressway, Sunrise Highway, Southern and Northern State Parkways and other roads—have been reopened but they continue to remind drivers to remain home because the conditions are still dangerous.

Suffolk County police Saturday night said hazards remain and are warning drivers to avoid certain areas, specifically Jericho Turnpike in Middle Island.

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Crews hindered by abandoned vehicles strewn across roads now have another obstacle before them: freezing roads.

“That hinders the manpower,” John Jordan, deputy commissioner of Suffolk Fire and Rescue, told the Press Saturday night.

More than 100 contractors are on the roads, Jordan said, adding that assets from New York City will make their way to Suffolk at 7 p.m. and will be dispatched to hard hit areas Sunday morning.

Officials expect clean up efforts to continue through Sunday.

While emergency crews have been successful in moving cars out of the way—some with forklifts and tow trucks—a “couple of hundred” abandoned cars remain strewn along roads, Jordan said.

“Some of them are in so much snow they’re not going to move until the snow melts,” he added.

Related: Snowfall totals on Long Island

He noted that County Road 83 in the Town of Brookhaven had 400 cars stuck on the roadway at one point, while other deserted cars were found along County Road 21 and at the intersection of Route 347 and Jericho Turnpike.

Many unlucky drivers had a front row seat to Friday night’s blizzard, as they were unable to leave their cars after the heavy snow swallowed them up.

Suffolk County police said 150 people were rescued from roadways and taken to warming shelters.

Others weren’t so lucky.

“Unfortunately it’s like quick sand, once you stop in snow like this…you get buried,” Jordan said.

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said at a briefing Saturday that Suffolk took the brunt of the storm and “sustained significant damage and significant hardship.”

Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone lamented that if the storm had held off for just a few more hours then less people would’ve been trapped in the blizzard overnight.

“If this storm would have happened two hours later, the hundreds of people struggling to get home would have made it home,” Bellone said. “Emergency vehicles were dispatched immediately but emergency vehicles at this time were getting stuck. Fire trucks were getting stuck…We’ve never seen anything like this.”

The Nor’easter began its onslaught on Long Island Friday afternoon and continued through the night. More than a dozen communities were hit with more than a foot of snow and several areas—all in Suffolk—saw more than 30 inches.

“It’s something that most people probably, if you see it, you’ll see it once in a lifetime, especially in this area,” Jordan said of the storm. “I’ve never seen anything like this.”

Malverne Police Chief John Aresta on Fox Business News

Malverne Village chief of police John Aresta, whose uncle was gunned down in the 1993 Long Island Rail Road Massacre, told Fox Business News on Wednesday that he supports gun control laws for personal reasons and because of his position as the village’s top cop.

WATCH ARESTA’S INTERVIEW HERE

“I send my guys out there everyday to protect and serve the people of my village and the state of New York,” he told the show’s host one day after New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s gun control legislation was passed by the state legislature. “We don’t see a reason, and I personally don’t see a reason why anybody would need a 30-round clip or a 10-round clip for an assault rifle.”

The state’s new gun control measures calls for a ban on assault weapons and any magazine that can hold more than seven rounds. It also looks to limit the access of guns to the mentally ill by requiring therapists to report to local mental health officials when they believe a patient may cause serious harm to themselves or others.

When Aresta was asked if this law would have prevented the shooting, he said it’s possible, though conceded that nothing is guaranteed.

“It’s very possible [Colin] Ferguson would’ve been picked up on a mental health issue,” Aresta said.

The semi-automatic handgun Ferguson used in the shooting does not fall under the state ban, but “the magazine clip he used would have been,” Aresta said.

He then added that he’s talked to his officers, many of whom are NRA members, and said even they don’t see the need for assault weapons. When he asked them if they know anybody that goes hunting with an AR-15, they responded, “nobody really does,” Aresta noted.

Critics of New York’s assault weapon ban and the one proposed by President Barack Obama said it won’t curtail gun violence because most gun crimes are carried out with handguns. The police chief also admitted that the village doesn’t see many assault weapons crimes in the village.

Still, he said, “I don’t see a reason why you would have to defend your home like that when police are readily available,” referring to assault weapons because his officers can respond to a 911 call within minutes.

The LIRR shooting on Dec. 7, 1993 claimed the lives of six people and wounded 19.

A nurse administers an influenza virus vaccine to a patient. (CDC photo)

Health officials are urging the public to take preventive measures against seasonal influenza, which has burst upon the scene earlier—and stronger—than previous years.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that most of the country is experiencing high levels of flu-like illnesses, with 41 states reporting widespread influenza activity.

“More persons are seeking medical care,” said Dr. Janice Verley of Nassau University Medical Center. “Almost double than the usual baseline for flu season.”

The number of reported cases in New York State is staggering. More than 15,000 positive influenza laboratory results have been reported to the state department of health during this flu season compared to 4,404 last season.

As of Dec. 31 in Nassau County, there were 1,214 confirmed cases of Influenza A, the strain accounting for most of the illnesses this season, and 193 confirmed accounts of Influenza B. Data for Suffolk County wasn’t immediately available.

“While we can’t say for certain how severe this season will be, we can say that a lot of people are getting sick with influenza and we are getting reports of severe illness and hospitalizations,” Dr. Joe Bresee of the CDC said in a statement.

Officials from the CDC, county health departments and local doctors say the best way to combat the virus is through vaccination.

“The side effects of the vaccine are generally mild or limited,” said Verley.

For the stubborn type that refuse to get inoculated, doctors recommend a thorough scrub and practicing good hygiene. Those with a cough and the sniffles should wash their hands regularly, officials said. Those who come down with the virus should do their part to prevent the illness from spreading by staying home from work or school.

Influenza has already been blamed for the deaths of 18 children nationwide.

The flu vaccine is recommended for everyone six months and older. Babies under six months can’t be vaccinated so parents are urged to get vaccinated to prevent spreading the illness to their child.

Those most at risk to contract influenza are people over 50, pregnant women, anyone with a weakened immune system and children younger than 2.

Google’s Flu Trend map. Different colors represent flu activity. NY’s flu activity is considered “intense.” 

Google’s Flu Trend map (Photo: google.org/flutrends)

New York State DEC conducting looking to gather data about turkey population (BNL photo).

Where are all the wild turkeys going?

That question has forced New York State Department of Environmental Conservation officials to launch a wild turkey survival study to pinpoint the source of the state’s turkey population decline over the last decade.

The four-year research project will begin this month with the goal of improving the management of wild turkeys, the most popular small game species in the state.

DEC Commissioner Joe Martens is encouraging landowners that have wild turkey on their property to consider participating in the study so researchers can better understand the turkey dilemma.

“The data generated by this study will provide valuable information on turkey survival rates and population size to help guide future management of this important game species,” he said in a statement.

The DEC expects the study to provide wildlife managers with current estimates of harvest and survival rates for female turkeys.

The statewide effort will require researchers to capture wild hens and fit them with leg bands to generate data on survival and harvest. Some will be attached with satellite radio transmitters, officials said.

The project by DEC personnel will be conducted on public and private lands until March.

Between 2006 and 2009, the state was able to gather information about male wild turkeys with the help of landowners from across the state. The DEC is hoping for similar participation.