NYC Mayor Mamdani's Update on Blizzard Snow Response and City Services

Blizzard Response and Snowfall Metrics

• ❄️ New York City is experiencing its first blizzard since 2016, with snowfall estimates ranging from 19 to 21 inches citywide, and up to 22 inches in localized areas.
• 🌨️ As of 5:30 a.m., 99.3% of city roads had received a first plow pass by DSNY, with ongoing operations and real-time updates available through Plow NYC.

School Closures and Future Decisions

• 🏫 Schools have been closed for the day, with no remote learning offered.
• 📅 A decision regarding school operations for the following day will be communicated to families, students, and staff in the afternoon.

Storm Response Improvements and Strategies

• 💡 The city is implementing lessons learned from the previous storm, focusing on enhancements to existing strategies.
• 🌡️ A key difference this time is the expectation of temperatures reaching the 40s midweek, which will aid in natural snowmelt, unlike the previous storm that resulted in ice.
• 📍 Unsheltered bus stops and crosswalks have been geo-tagged for DSNY to monitor cleaning status, improving accessibility.
• 🧑‍🚒 Approximately double the number of emergency snow shovelers have been deployed, clearing over a thousand crosswalks, 400 fire hydrants, and 800-900 bus stops.

Support for Unhoused New Yorkers

• 🤝 Hundreds of outreach workers are actively connecting homeless New Yorkers with shelter, safe havens, and warming centers across all five boroughs.
• 🏠 Repurposed city infrastructure, including schools, health sites, and mobile clinical vans, are serving as warming stations.
• 🛏️ Over 100 beds have been added to a recently opened shelter in Upper Manhattan to increase capacity.
• 📱 Information on warming center locations is accessible via LinkNYC kiosks for both those in need and concerned citizens.

Travel Bans, Transit, and Storm Costs

• 🚗 A travel ban is in effect until 12 p.m. due to hazardous conditions, including high winds.
• 🚆 Public transit, including subways and trains, is currently operating on a delay but remains functional, with efforts underway to restore full service in coordination with the state and MTA.
• 💰 While no cost estimate is available yet, the city is prioritizing getting back to normal operations, having already allocated an additional $100 million for snow removal in the preliminary budget due to increased snowfall.