A New York-Dominican Republic partnership reached the Mohawk Valley this week as about 40 emergency management and public safety representatives from the Dominican Republic trained at the State Preparedness Training Center in Oriskany. This important initiative is part of the Dominican Republic Delegation Trains with NY Emergency Experts program.

Gov. Kathy Hochul also met with Dominican Republic President Luis Abinader during the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly. The meeting continued a partnership focused on disaster preparedness, emergency response and infrastructure protection.

Five-day summit brings international training to Oneida County

The Emergency Management and Infrastructure Protection Summit runs Sept. 21 through Sept. 25 at the State Preparedness Training Center in Oriskany. The facility is operated by the New York State Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services.

“We are honored with the visit of the Dominican President and we welcome our colleagues to Oriskany to share critical emergency strategies, tactical training and innovations that will save lives and build resilience from New York to the Caribbean,” Hochul said.

The program builds on a Declaration of Intent signed by Hochul and Abinader during the governor’s visit to the Dominican Republic in November 2025. The agreement calls for sharing expertise, resources and technology to better protect communities from extreme weather and other emergencies.

What responders are learning in Oriskany

The training includes classroom instruction, demonstrations and hands-on exercises. Major areas include:

• Search and rescue: Swift-water training, rope operations, rubble-pile exercises and post-earthquake building inspections.
• Drone technology: Demonstrations involving unmanned aircraft for urban and woodland searches, hazardous-material responses and law-enforcement operations.
• Emergency communications: Public warning systems, alert networks and emergency communications planning.
• Disaster recovery: Assistance, prevention programs and building-code issues.
• Responder well-being: Training focused on operational stress and mental-health support.

The summit is scheduled to conclude with an Emergency Operations Center exercise built around an earthquake scenario.

Oriskany facility plays a statewide and international role

The State Preparedness Training Center is a multidisciplinary emergency-response training facility in Oneida County. Its specialized venues include a swift-water rescue simulator, tactical structures, a mock city street and other environments designed to give responders realistic practice.

That makes the international summit more than a diplomatic event for the Mohawk Valley. It also highlights the role the Oriskany center plays in training emergency personnel beyond the region.

New York and the Dominican Republic deepen ties

Hochul’s office says roughly one million Dominican Americans live in New York, giving the state deep cultural and family ties to the Dominican Republic.

President Abinader said protecting lives is a priority for his government and that the collaboration with New York advances that goal.

The emergency-management partnership follows other efforts to expand the relationship. In June, Empire State Development completed a trade mission to the Dominican Republic involving New York companies in sectors including apparel, health care, food and beverage, defense and beauty.

For Central New York, this week’s summit puts Oneida County directly into an international exchange of emergency-response knowledge, while giving visiting professionals access to specialized training facilities located just outside Utica.

Source: Office of Gov. Kathy Hochul, Sept. 24, 2026.