De Blasio Warns of Historic Blizzard
Sunday, January 25, 2015
(Ed Reed/Mayoral Photography Office)
Mayor de Blasio said the city could be in for a record snowstorm, with snow accumulation hitting up to three feet, and wind gusts topping 35 miles an hour.
"My message to all New Yorkers is prepare for something worse than we have seen before," he said during a Sunday afternoon news conference at a Sanitation Department garage.
He urged workers to telecommute, or shift their work schedules earlier to avoid a dangerous commute. He said subway and bus riders should assume there will be disruption to mass transit.
"New Yorkers should not underestimate this storm," he said. "Assume conditions will be unsafe."
But de Blasio, who was criticized for keeping school open during some of last year's storms, said he would do so again on Monday, though the city's afternoon and evening school activities are canceled, and it's likely that schools will be closed on Tuesday. (Regents exams will be administered as planned on Monday).
New Department of Sanitation Commissioner Kathryn Garcia faces her first big storm at the agency's helm. But she said her workers are ready. "We've handled blizzards before," she said. "And while this is likely to be an historic amount of snow, we have been preparing."
The city has already begun deploying 500 salt spreaders, she said, and has more than 2,000 snow plows ready to go.
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JESSICA GOULD
Jessica Gould covers politics and public finance for WNYC.
