February 13, 2026
On Thursday, the hearing is examining the governor’s specific proposals for Public Protection. The hearing included testimony from New York State Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services (DHSES) Acting Commissioner Terence O’Leary, who faced questioning from legislators, including O’Mara, on a range of concerns and issues. O’Mara focused his questioning on devastating flooding that has hit communities in the Canisteo Valley over the past several years, most recently during Tropical Storm Debby in August 2024. O’Mara noted that he and Assemblyman Phil Palmesano have been working since then with DHSES, the state Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC), and the state Department of Transportation (DOT) on initiating flood mapping, studies, and other flood prevention efforts to determine how to best strengthen the resiliency of the area moving forward – and asked for an update on that overall effort. O’Mara also expressed frustration and disappointment that following the Tropical Storm Debby flooding in 2024 — three years after Tropical Storm Fred flooding in the same area — the state has failed to cover the local share of storm recovery costs, an action it did take in the aftermath of the 2021 storm. “(Flood recovery) expenses for those small, rural communities have been significant and, frankly, (the lack of state support) delayed some of the repair work that needs to be done,” O’Mara said.
