The heaviest snow engulfed New York on Saturday and was not expected to stop until Sunday, when up to 76cm may have piled up in the nation’s largest city, said New York Mayor Bill de Blasio.
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New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announced a ban on all travel on New York City area roads, including on Long Island, except for emergency vehicles, as of 2.30pm (1930 GMT).
In fact, in a press conference Thursday, New York Mayor Bill De Blasio recommended New Yorkers opt for mass transit as a safer travel option to driving or walking this weekend. “We look forward to thoroughly reviewing the budget and then substantive preliminary budget hearings in the coming weeks”, the two lawmakers said.
“We’re bracing for the first big storm of the winter”, de Blasio said during a briefing with reporters, according to a transcript provided by his office.
The New York City Emergency Management agency issued a hazardous travel advisory for Saturday and Sunday.
Quips aside, the mayor praised the Department of Sanitation for getting the city’s streets ready for the Monday morning commute, noting that workers would continue to clear roadways throughout Sunday. I just heard a siren go by, but it’s been pretty quiet all day since most people are being advised to stay indoors. The MTA was suspending all bus service in New York City at noon on Saturday.
Markell says a state of emergency remains in effect. “That includes people who are attempting to drive, but it also includes people who are walking”, said Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser.
DeBlasio was steadfast in his pleas with residents to remain inside and off the streets, urging storeowners to go home and parents to keep children close to home if they go out in the snow.
Forecast models are predicting a storm surge of 4 to 5 feet in DE, and 3 to 4 feet in southern New Jersey.
Not included in the proposal: an estimated $20 million to build stables inside Central Park, under a deal that would ban horse carriages from city streets. For much for much of the day, snow was falling at a rate of one to three inches per hour in the city.
“This is an hour-to-hour thing … we’re in a very different situation than we were last night”, De Blasio said.
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