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EAST COAST -- Forecasters at offices throughout the Northeast have been monitoring the situation for days now. They've been in constant contact with emergency management officials.

In a report issued earlier this month, the Weather Service was criticized by government officials about the way Tropical Storm Irene's potential impact was communicated to the public.

Meteorologists say they know what they need to do better.

Warning Coordination Meteorologist Steve DiRienzo said, "Last year we underestimated the strength of the storm, so it was hard. I don't think we told people how bad it was going to be. A lot of people said, we didn't know it was going to be that bad. That was partly our fault. Partly because we didn't know it was going to be that bad. So we've taken it to heart that as soon as we see indications of impacts that are going to be severe, we're going to get the word out and be very strongly-worded statements to let people know what is going to happen."

Forecasters say that while most computer models take the worst of Sandy southwest of our area, everyone should monitor this storm as anything can happen over the next 72 hours.

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NEW YORK STATE -- Governor Andrew Cuomo has declared a State of Emergency in New York in preparation for the potential impact of Hurricane Sandy.

As the storm makes its way to New York, Cuomo is coordinating statewide preps. He has ordered the state's Emergency Operations Center in Albany to remain open 24 hours a day.

The state government is also communicating with the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the National Weather Service.

Cuomo is urging New Yorkers to plan for hurricane conditions and to keep a close eye on news reports in order to stay updated on Sandy. He says the state learned a lot from Irene and doesn't want to take any chances this time around.

"We had not seen damage like that or some people have never seen damage like that. It wasn't predicted frankly, we didn't know anything like that was coming. So it has given me a healthy respect for Mother Nature and we are doing everything we can to be prepared," Cuomo said.

Cuomo has also asked President Obama for a pre-landfall disaster declaration, which would allow for state access to funds and FEMA resources to prepare.

Due to the impending storm, the Governor’s conference on Emergency Preparedness scheduled for October 29th and 30th in Albany is being postponed

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NEW YORK -- The MTA is monitoring Hurricane Sandy, which poses a threat of high winds and heavy rain. That would make it unsafe to operate subway, bus, and railroad lines, as well as to allow vehicles on the MTA's seven bridges and two tunnels.

The MTA said it will shut down services to ensure both customers and employees are safe.

Visit mta.info for more information.

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MASSACHUSETTS -- Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick is urging residents to be prepared.

Patrick says lessons learned from previous storms are helping them prepare for this storm. He says while the full impact of Sandy is uncertain at this point, there are things people can do to minimize damage.

"Some things important to do around your homes: Trim back trees that are touching the house, shrubbery around the house, remove diseased or damage tree limbs that could be blown down and cause damage in the event of the high winds we're expecting," Patrick said.

Patrick went on to say clearing rain gutters can go a long way in preventing flooding.

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NEW YORK STATE -- Capital Tonight's Liz Benjamin spoke with Jerome Hauer, the New York State Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services Commissioner. He says emergency workers are ready to respond to whatever the storm may bring and there's already a plan in place should evacuations become necessary in upstate communities.

Hauer said, “We have a pretty good line of communications and the cooperation's been great. And we've been talking about the potential impact, what resources they would need if in fact they did evacuations, open shelters, and all of that is lined up if it's needed.”

Hauer is urging people to not become complacent about the storm and to heed any and all warnings issued by emergency officials.