Mayor Bill de Blasio held an emergency briefing this morning to tell New York City to prepare for 14-16 inches of snow over the next 48 hours. He said the snow would start as early as 7pm this evening (Sunday) and carry on all day Monday through to the early hours of Tuesday.
The Mayor’s key messages were:
- Keep off the roads. Only essential travel.
- In-person school will be canceled in the city.
- Vaccinations will be postponed, and Monday appointments will be rescheduled.
- Outdoor Dining is suspended on Monday.
- Suspension of Alternate Side Parking on Monday and Tuesday.
- Code Blue is in effect. If you or someone you know needs safe shelter, contact 311.
“Help the folks who are helping us. Keep off the roads,” said the Mayor. “It’s just not going to be safe out there on Monday. Take it seriously. This is a dangerous storm.” He stressed that the snow predictions might be wrong, and the snowfall could be even more than expected.
“This is going to be a significant winter event. We could have blizzard-like conditions between 8am and 8pm on Monday. Please stay indoors.” warned Deanne Criswell, Commissioner of the New York City Emergency Management Department. “Please check on your neighbors, check on your loved ones.”
“This is definitely shaping up to be a challenging and unpredictable storm,” said Ed Grayson, the commissioner of the City of New York Department of Sanitation. He reassured that his department was ready, saying: “Our workforce has been split into two 12 hour shifts beginning this evening at 7pm. We will be out there in full force throughout the storm. The city has over 270,000 tons of salt and 320,000 gallons of calcium chloride on hand for this storm.” He said they had a fleet of 700 spreaders and over 2,000 plows heading out to look after 400 miles of city roadways. “We are poised and ready to move at the first flake. You will see us out there. We will be loud and we will be present,” he said.
