Governor Cuomo has declared a state of emergency for New York ahead of Hurricane Sandy. YNN's Lori Chung has more on how the State Emergency Management Office is preparing for Sandy's arrival.

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ALBANY, N.Y. – “It’s a tropical cyclone that is rapidly becoming a nor’easter which can be a catastrophic or more for New York State,” said director Steve Kuhr.

That’s why the state Office of Emergency Management is taking no chances with Sandy.

“We’re reining in some state resources to a greater extent than we had [last year],” said Kuhr. “We activated the State Emergency Operations Center at the direction of the governor much earlier than we did last year.”

The game plan for Sandy is being shaped by the lessons learned from the shortcomings in the response to Irene in 2011.

“I don’t think we told people it was going to be, a lot of people said ‘we didn’t know it was going to be this bad’ and that was partly our fault because we didn’t it was going to be that bad,” said Steven DiRienzo, the Warning Coordinator Meteorologist for the National Weather Service.

The agency is busy tracking Sandy as their maps hint that it may slam into Delaware. But they’re taking the criticism to heart in forecasting for this storm.

“As soon as we see indications of impacts that are going to be severe, we’re going to try and get the word out.”

Officials warn though that a mid-Atlantic landfall doesn’t mean New York is out of the woods. Actually, they say Sandy may cause significant damage here and shouldn’t be taken lightly.

“I want people to understand that if an evacuation order is issued by local government or state government, [then] pay attention to it,” said Kuhr.

As with any severe storm, officials are also putting out the reminder to be prepared, particularly those who live in flood-prone areas. They advise putting together an emergency kit with food, cash and any necessary medications, warning that even if New York escapes the worst of Sandy, it’s better to be safe than sorry.