Earlier on June 17th, Governor Kathy Hochul was a guest on Spectrum News to update New Yorkers on the extreme heat weather event.

AUDIO of the Governor's remarks is available here.

A rush transcript of the Governor's remarks is available below:

JoDee Kenney, Spectrum: ?We are all talking about the heat that has made its way to New York State, and it's here for quite a while. Maybe not to stay forever, but definitely a while. We are joined now by the Governor – Governor Kathy Hochul, to discuss how the state is handling this oppressive weather. Governor, thank you so much for joining us.

Governor Hochul: Well, thank you and this is going to be a real scorcher right now. Right now everywhere north of New York City is under a heat advisory, and it's only going to get worse. By Wednesday, we are going to be in the extreme category for heat risk, which we have not hit – I don't know in our lifetime. And if you think about that whole 1-90 corridor from Buffalo to Rochester, Syracuse, Utica and South, it is going to feel like over 100 degrees.

Think about this – even up on the Canadian border, Plattsburgh, it's going to feel 104 degrees. This is no joke. The State has been preparing for this for literally days. I've convened my teams over the weekend – in advance just to get the warning out because I think when people don't see rain coming down or heavy snow or high winds from a hurricane in some states or a tornado, they don't think there's a danger to them. But there really is to themselves because heat stroke can come on very quickly and there's extreme symptoms and dizziness and thirst. And looking out for families is so important and animals.

But why we're taking it seriously is that we need to make sure that everyone knows that this could be life threatening. This is a dangerous situation. So, we've already activated a National Guard – they stand ready to help in any of the communities that need assistance with standing up the cooling centers.

We've been in touch with the utilities. Think about the fact that we cannot have power go down without backup generation for people who are going to be relying on their air conditioners. Think about hospitals and nursing homes and so many facilities where you— people need to have it that they cannot be exposed to that kind of heat.

We're issuing alerts, we're opening up parks and pools earlier so young kids and families can cool off. We've been intensely coordinating with local law enforcement, all 62 counties, to make sure they have everything they need and asking them to ramp up the messaging. We'll be talking about text messaging everyone as well.

Again, keeping a close eye on our hospitals and nursing homes to make sure they have all the supplies they need. And think about people who have to work outside. So, we're working closely with our own workforce, those who are working on the Thruway and the highways. And think about people in agriculture. This is a dangerous week for everyone. And we just want people to take it seriously, take a lot of breaks, drink a lot of water. And again, just don't leave your kids or any pets unattended because this could be deadly. So, we're taking this as seriously as we do with every major weather event.

It is not going to be short in duration, it's starting in some parts of our State now. Intensifying Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and some slight relief later but it is going to be a long unbearable week. But also, could be life threatening.

JoDee Kenney, Spectrum: I know a lot of New Yorkers, were complaining last year because we got a lot of rain. We couldn't get out very frequently during the summer months, but now we have this sun and people might be enticed to get out and try and enjoy this weather. But can you talk a little bit about hydration and the reason why people need to really heed your advice when we're talking about extreme weather conditions?

Governor Hochul: When you think about all the causes of death related to the weather - people drowning in floods, people being buried in their homes during a snowstorm or mudslides, hurricanes - the most deadly weather event for human beings is heat. That if the heat gets extreme, and we will have extreme heat, this could be life threatening. So, this is how seriously people need to take it. You have to know what the symptoms are of heat stroke. This is the most dangerous heat related illness. It's dizziness, thirst, heavy sweating, nausea, fainting, and if your body temperature is above 100, 105 degrees, or you think someone else has heat stroke, you need to call 911 right now. Call 911. If that starts today, tomorrow, the next day, because this is the reason people die during these events. And staying hydrated by drinking cool water, avoiding alcohol and caffeine can help as well.

And a lot of people, like I said, Upstate do not have air conditioning. So, take a lot of breaks, get to a cooling center and checking on older neighbors. People just don't have family to make sure they're okay. And pets and children, as I said, are very vulnerable. So, this is an all of New York approach to deal with this. Our state government has been fully deployed from our State Police, our National Guard, our emergency services – everyone involved in opening up the cooling centers. And I just need every New Yorker to know that this is a life-threatening event. Please take it seriously. It will pass, but it's going to be a long brutal week.

JoDee Kenney, Spectrum: And just wanted to follow up. What are the concerns for at risk low-income communities during this heat wave and what is the state doing?

Governor Hochul: We are getting out messages to everyone, especially through local government, where they'll have able to contact individuals, but we'll use text messaging as well. We're having everyone set up cooling centers, a place you can go where there'll be air conditioning and plenty of water and just, medical people to keep an eye and make sure that you're not experiencing the symptoms of a heat related illness. So that's what's something for people who are lower income – they would have this available to them. We're asking every community to stand this up and that's why we're in constant communication with our county officials. We had a call. Our teams spoke this morning. We gave them a whole list of what we recommend they do, how they can promote this, let people know what they are in store for.

People should not be caught off guard by this event. And I appreciate the media focusing tremendous attention on this, just like we do during blizzards. This is a life-threatening event. I cannot overstate that. And people say, ‘You can't take the heat, get out of the kitchen.’ If you don't have air conditioning, you probably need to get out of the house. A house can be a deadly place if the temperatures soar. That's why different places are going to be advertising where they have cooling centers where you just need to go and take care of your health, the health of our seniors, your children, and certainly your pets.

JoDee Kenney, Spectrum: Governor Kathy Hochul, thank you so much for joining us today.

Governor Hochul: Alright. Thank you.