Mayor Bill de Blasio: I want to give all New Yorkers an update on the storm that we’re experiencing right now and I want to let people know from the beginning – this is going to be a serious storm. People should be ready for really tough conditions in the morning even though right now in a lot of the city all you’re seeing is rain – that’s going to convert to snow soon, and we expect, as the night goes on, the snow is going to pick up and it’s going to get more and more intense right before the morning rush hour. And this is our concern right now, that we expect actually the biggest snow accumulation we’ve had all year, the whole snow system – excuse me – snow season, so far. This will be the biggest accumulation that we’ve had all year. But in particular, what we’re concerned about is it’s going to hit right before the morning rush hour, in fact, it could drift into the morning rush hour with very fast accumulations.
So, there’s a great deal of concern that it’s going to be a very tough commute in the morning. It’s going to be very tough for people to get around. I want to right now urge all New Yorkers who do not need to use their cars in the morning, please do not. We’re going to have very messy conditions, slippery conditions, dangerous conditions. We want to keep people off the streets to allow the Sanitation Department to do the work that they do. We’re going to have a real problem if there’s too many vehicles out there. So, I’m urging all New Yorkers – if you have to go out, please use mass transit. If you don’t have to go out, stay in in the morning so the Sanitation Department can do their work clearing the streets.
Now, I want to thank right off the bat the Sanitation Department, and Emergency Management, and all the city agencies that have been working so intensely over the last 48 hours to get ready for this. Of course, Sanitation is out in force right now. 695 salt spreaders have been out now throughout the day, all over the five boroughs, getting the roads ready. We have 1,600 plows ready to go, as soon as the snow accumulation amounts to the point that the plows can get into action. But we do expect to see the snow in the next few hours, and then it will intensify, through the night. When we get to the early morning hours, we could see snow coming in at the pace of one to two inches per hour. And we’ve seen that before. Those kinds of conditions really cause us a tremendous amount of concern and those are very tough conditions to drive in. For that reason, school will be closed tomorrow. I’m making a formal announcement now that school will be closed tomorrow, and all activities related to school – field trips, after school – everything will be cancelled tomorrow, Monday.
We’re also announcing that alternate side parking will be cancelled tomorrow, Monday, and Tuesday as well. So, we want to make it easier on people who are worried about what they’re going to be doing with their cars the next few days, alternate side – we’re cancelling it Monday, we’re cancelling it Tuesday, it was already cancelled because of a standing government holiday on Wednesday. So, for all New Yorkers with a car, you will not have to move it Monday, Tuesday, or Wednesday. Hopefully that will help us get through this storm.
Additional information – Code Blue is in effect. We have a very intensive outreach effort you’ll see today and tomorrow. If there’s anyone on the street who needs help, they’ll be led by Department of Homeless Services working closely with the NYPD and the FDNY. Also want people to know that it will be not only difficult to get around on the streets but on the sidewalks as well. So as you’re trying to get around tomorrow, what we expect is a lot of precipitation overnight and then it’s going to freeze up during the day tomorrow. Very cold temperatures will be setting in throughout the day tomorrow and overnight Monday into Tuesday. So we really want people to mindful. There’s going to be a lot of ice. Please be very careful when you’re out there. As always, urging all New Yorkers – look out for your neighbors, look out, in particular, for senior citizens who might need a little help or anyone who lives in your building or in your neighborhood who might need some help. It’s very important to check in on them during storms whenever you can. And for anyone who sees a dangerous situation – if it’s urgent, or immediately life-threatening, call 911. If it’s something that’s important but not immediately life-threatening, call 311. Also, for anyone who does not have heat or hot water, please call 311. We need those reports so that we can make sure that we are working to get heat and hot water restored. That’s for people who live in every type of housing. Obviously most of our heat complaints come from private buildings. We need those complaints quickly so we can push landlords to get the heat back, or, if necessary, the City will go over to the buildings and put the heat back on ourselves.
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