Mayor Zohran Mamdani and DSNY Appearing Commissioner Javier Lojan survey town’s winter storm response
Picture by Mayor’s Media Unit
Monday, Feb. 23, marked the 54th day of Zohran Mamdani’s time period as mayor. New York News is following Mamdani round his first 100 days in workplace as we intently monitor his progress on fulfilling marketing campaign guarantees, appointing key leaders to authorities posts, and managing town’s funds. Right here’s a abstract of what the mayor did.
Simply weeks after Winter Storm Fern and the lethal Arctic chilly that claimed not less than 15 lives within the metropolis, Mayor Zohran Mamdani confronted his second main snowstorm in two months Monday, as blizzard situations dumped between 16 and 24 inches of snow throughout New York Metropolis and wind gusts reached 60 mph.
Regardless of the severity, metropolis officers reported no storm-related deaths as of Monday afternoon, a stark distinction to Fern, when Arctic air pushed temperatures in some areas deep under zero, with wind chills right down to –30 °F, contributing to a number of tragic hypothermia-related deaths.
The Workplace of Chief Medical Examiner accomplished autopsies for 18 of the not less than 19 individuals who died outdoor between Jan. 24 and Feb. 7, and confirmed to the New York Submit that 15 had been linked to hypothermia. The OCME didn’t reply to requests for remark on the time of publication.
“As of now, we are not aware of any deaths related to this blizzard on our city streets or in public areas,” Mayor Mamdani stated, noting that the Division of Homeless Companies made eight placements on Sunday evening into low-barrier shelters in addition to warming facilities.
“These are in addition to the 85 or so placements that were made the night before,” he added.
Regardless of the severity, metropolis officers reported no storm-related deaths as of Monday afternoon from the Blizzard of 2026.Picture by Dean Moses
Mamdani emphasised that preparation and coordination have been key. He famous that, judging from present forecasts, the worst had handed, situations had been starting to reasonable, however extra snow and excessive winds had been nonetheless anticipated.
Snow was projected to linger by the afternoon, with one other 1.5 to 2.5 inches anticipated by 8 p.m., and wind gusts as much as 40 mph had been possible into the night. The town remained in a state of emergency.
“New York City continues to meet the urgency of this historic blizzard, and we will not stop until the storm has passed and our city is fully up and moving again,” Mamdani stated, highlighting town’s ongoing deal with preserving residents secure. Although the journey ban had lifted, he urged New Yorkers to take public transportation if wanted, keep indoors when doable, and keep knowledgeable by Notify NYC.
In anticipation of the storm, town deployed 2,600 sanitation employees per 12-hour shift, working greater than 2,200 plows and 700 salt spreaders. The emergency snow shoveler program was expanded to 1,800 employees per shift, specializing in sidewalks, crosswalks, and unsheltered bus stops — doubling the workforce from prior storms.
Officers additionally applied geo-tagging of bus shelters and crosswalks and are monitoring snow elimination in actual time by DSNY programs. By 12:30 p.m., the Division of Sanitation had unfold roughly 50 million kilos of salt and plowed over 99.5% of metropolis streets not less than as soon as.
Even with lively snowfall, crews cleared over 1,600 crosswalks, 419 fireplace hydrants, and virtually 900 bus stops in a single day, with extra work persevering with Monday morning.
Outreach to weak residents has additionally been a precedence. Greater than 500 outreach employees canvassed neighborhoods to attach unsheltered New Yorkers with warming facilities and low-barrier shelters. The town deployed 22 warming buses citywide, with extra areas at 11 NYC Well being + Hospitals amenities and 13 faculty areas.
The Division of Social Companies continues enhanced steady Code Blue protocols, prolonged by Wednesday morning. “During a Code Blue, shelters operate under an open-door policy. Outreach teams are connecting unsheltered New Yorkers to safe, warm spaces. During a Code Blue, 311 is routed to 911 so first responders can mobilize quickly to reach the person in need,” the press launch states.
DSS additionally expedited 100 low-barrier stabilization beds to extend shelter choices for these immune to congregate settings, in response to Mamdani, who solely disclosed that the positioning is in Higher Manhattan.
Over the past storm, the Mamdani administration fast-tracked the opening of one other low-barrier shelter in decrease Manhattan. It had been delayed by a neighborhood lawsuit, largely over the constructing’s proximity to Peck Slip Faculty on Pearl Avenue. Legal professional Joseph J. Sullivan, representing PeckSlip Advocates for Faculty Security, informed New York News on the time that the group had not been formally notified of the opening earlier than Mamdani’s public announcement.
In the meantime, metropolis colleges are set to completely reopen on Tuesday, with over 8,000 DOE amenities workers working to take away snow and ice, verify heating programs, and make sure emergency provides. Faculty buses are ready to run, making certain college students can journey safely.
