00:00This morning, a mix of snow and rain began to fall across our city.
00:05Over the course of the day, conditions are predicted to grow increasingly more severe,
00:10with the heaviest snow falling between 9 p.m. tonight and 9 a.m. tomorrow morning.
00:16Snowfall will become more moderate as Monday progresses, tapering off around 8 p.m.
00:21In total, this storm is projected to drop between 18 and 24 inches across New York City,
00:27coming up to 28 inches in certain areas.
00:30New Yorkers should also expect dangerous winds.
00:34Later today, they are predicted to reach 35 miles per hour,
00:37with peak speeds of 40 miles per hour and 60 mile per hour isolated gusts occurring tomorrow morning around 8
00:44a.m.
00:45These are blizzard conditions.
00:48New York City has not faced a storm of this scale in the last decade.
00:52As a result, we expect to see moderate coastal flooding of up to 2.5 feet during high tide,
00:58with the chance of it increasing to 3 feet along Staten Island, the Rockaways, and the Battery.
01:03If you are in a coastal area that normally floods during tide cycles, you may see flooding.
01:09Please stay alert and make sure to move cars ahead of high tide to higher ground.
01:13If you live in a basement apartment, Notify NYC has a special category for you.
01:18You can sign up for the basement alert group at nyc.gov slash notify.
01:23We have activated additional high water rescue teams should flooding grow dire,
01:27and DEP will also be inspecting catch basins to make sure that water can drain properly.
01:33If you see a clogged catch basin, please call 311 to prevent street flooding.
01:38Additionally, temperatures dropping into the 20s overnight will result in slippery streets,
01:43sidewalks, and extremely hazardous conditions across our city.
01:47Due to these factors, we are declaring a state of emergency and instituting a travel ban
01:52starting at 9 p.m. this evening and ending at 12 p.m. tomorrow.
01:58The state of emergency closes the streets, highways, and bridges of New York City for all traffic,
02:04cars, trucks, scooters, and e-bikes,
02:07with some specific exemptions for essential and emergency movement.
02:11We are asking New Yorkers to avoid all non-essential travel.
02:16Please, for your safety, stay home, stay inside, and stay off the roads.
02:23Hazardous conditions put delivery workers, drivers, and restaurant staff at risk.
02:28If you can do so, please look out for your fellow New Yorkers and prepare meals at home
02:33until the weather improves.
02:34While the continuity of our children's education is of the utmost importance to ensure the safety
02:40of students, parents, and teachers throughout this storm, schools will be closed tomorrow.
02:46This will be New York City's first old-school snow day since 2019.
02:51The state requires us to conduct 180 days of education in a calendar year.
02:57However, we believe that there are a unique set of extenuating circumstances for tomorrow's education.
03:02We shared this with the State Education Commissioner earlier this morning,
03:06and she has granted us a waiver for which we are incredibly thankful.
03:10And to kids across New York City, you have a very serious mission if you choose to accept it.
03:15Stay cozy.
03:17Across the city, other non-essential city offices and services, including our libraries,
03:21will also be closed to the public.
03:23The Staten Island and New York City ferries will discontinue service beginning at 5 p.m. this evening
03:28and restart early Monday morning.
03:31Restart late Monday morning, rather.
03:34Alternate side parking will be suspended tomorrow.
03:36Our agency teams have been working around the clock to ready our city for this storm.
03:41We are taking every precaution and are prepared for the intense volume of snow to come.
03:45Code Blue is in effect, with outreach workers canvassing all five boroughs 24-7
03:50and helping homeless New Yorkers come inside.
03:53Just last night, these outreach workers made 86 placements, bringing homeless New Yorkers inside to safety.
04:00Every New Yorker seeking warmth and shelter will be able to find it in our city.
04:04We have 22 warming buses, 11 health and hospitals warming spaces,
04:08and 13 school warming centers open across our city.
04:12We have also redeployed our health and hospitals mobile warming unit
04:16to provide medical attention, food, and additional support to those who need it.
04:20Our on-point overdose prevention centers will also remain open overnight tonight.
04:25You can find the location of a warming center near you
04:28and the locations of all warming centers across our city
04:31at any LinkNYC kiosk or by calling 311.
04:35I ask that New Yorkers continue to keep an eye out for neighbors in need.
04:39If you see a New Yorker in need of warmth or shelter,
04:42please call 311 immediately so our outreach workers can assist.
04:45As part of our Code Blue protocol, the call will be rerouted to 911.
04:49To seek help for yourself or others, you can also call 311 directly from a LinkNYC kiosk.
04:56For those struggling with heat or hot water issues, call your landlord immediately,
05:00and if you do not hear back in a timely manner, contact 311.
05:04Our HPD staff is working overtime and is at the ready to help.
05:09NYCHA residents who require assistance with non-emergency issues should call 718-707-7771.
05:16You can also submit a work ticket through the My NYCHA application.
05:20NYCHA has mobilized additional resources this weekend,
05:23including extra technical teams deployed across elevator heat
05:26and any other repair issues that may arise.
05:292,600 DSNY workers have begun working in 12-hour shifts.
05:33Our fleet of 700 salt spreaders has been dispatched across the city,
05:37and over 2,200 plowing vehicles will begin their work once more than two inches of snow have fallen.
05:44You can track their progress in real time once snow is accumulated at two inches
05:48via our online plow tracker, accessible at nyc.gov slash plownyc.
05:55NYPD Highway Patrol will be escorting DSNY to aid the salting and plowing of streets.
06:00The NYPD Tow Truck Task Force has also been activated.
06:05Tow trucks will be pre-staged across the city to assist any motorists who become stuck.
06:10DSNY has also contacted emergency snow shovelers,
06:13expanding the pool of additional shovelers through sustained outreach over the last few weeks,
06:17and 1,000 are ready to go into the field over the course of this event.
06:20To preemptively clear sidewalks and streets before the storm reaches its apex,
06:24we've added an additional shoveling shift this evening,
06:28with 300 shovelers beginning at 8 p.m. tonight.
06:3133 DSNY vans and two agency buses will be used to quickly transport shovelers where they're needed.
06:37While DSNY focuses their efforts on keeping streets clear and safe,
06:42New Yorkers can expect garbage and recycling collection to be delayed by at least one day.
06:46If Monday is your recycling collection day,
06:49we are asking New Yorkers to hold that material inside for the following week if you are able,
06:53just as you do after certain holidays.
06:56To more efficiently and effectively clear out our bus stops, crosswalks, and pedestrian ramps,
07:00we have expanded our geocoded tracking system of these areas.
07:04Additional operational agencies will be clearing fire hydrants, crosswalks, and bus stops
07:10on or around their property as well.
07:12To aid New Yorkers with disabilities throughout this period,
07:15four foot-wide paths must be cleared across all sidewalks
07:19to accommodate wheelchairs and other mobility devices.
07:22This is an existing mandate.
07:24Property owners, it is your responsibility.
07:27In the last storm, DSNY issued more than 4,000 violations.
07:31I want to be clear.
07:32Our interest is not in issuing violations.
07:35It is in finding compliance.
07:37And finally, I want to warn New Yorkers.
07:39The snow will be especially wet and heavy and will be more strenuous to clear.
07:44Please exercise caution as you dig out vehicles and paths.
07:48Take regular breaks and only clear snow if you are physically able to do so.
07:53I encourage all New Yorkers to sign up for Notify NYC to receive regular emergency updates
07:59from the city.
08:00You can do so by texting NOTIFYNYC to 692-692.
08:05You can also visit nyc.gov slash be ready for more information.
08:09Once again, New York, stay warm, stay inside, stay prepared, and stay safe.
08:14Thank you very much.
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