Transcript: Mayor Mamdani Appears Live on the Weather Channel to Give a Winter Weather Update
Zohran Mamdani on NYC Mayor's Office transcripts.
Passages
At this time, the investigation is still going on. I would say that we're considering that to be separate at the moment. We're thankful that, for the vast majority of New Yorkers, that they are warm and they are healthy and they are safe. We did see one New Yorker lose their life and we mourn them, and we're thinking of their family at this time.
Zohran MamdaniCheck at the sourceAbsolutely, and what I would say is do not leave a space heater unattended. Do not leave a space heater within three feet of something that is flammable. We want to make sure that you're not just warm, but you're also safe, and right now the city is doing everything it can to actually deliver that. We just recently made the decision that for tomorrow we're not going to have in-person schooling. It's going to be fully remote, and some part of that is because of the snowfall, but frankly, it's the snowfall combined with the cold, combined with the precipitation and the sleet that creates for very hazardous conditions tomorrow morning.
Zohran MamdaniCheck at the sourceWe've seen at least five New Yorkers who've passed away. At this time, it's too early to say what the cause of their deaths were. They are currently being examined by the medical examiner. When we have the autopsy results, we will share them. What it is, though, is a reminder of how hazardous these conditions can be. We see on an annual basis New Yorkers who succumb to the cold. We don't want that to be the case, so what we're doing is we've opened up 10 warming centers, two in each borough. New Yorkers can go there. There are a number of places that we're looking to connect homeless New Yorkers with shelter. So, every two hours, we have city workers who are canvassing homeless New Yorkers, connecting them with services, connecting them with shelter. We are bypassing all typical intake procedures. We're just trying to get people in.
Zohran MamdaniCheck at the sourceYes. And if you're a New Yorker, [and] you're watching this, [if] you see a homeless person who's outside, call 311. That will be rerouted to 911. We will get there because no New Yorker should be out there in the cold.
Zohran MamdaniCheck at the sourceIt's going well. And thankfully, you know, the work of these incredible men and women at DSNY, we're seeing it all across the city because they started brining highways, major roadways, at 6 a.m. on Friday. So, if you start preparing when the snow falls, you're already late. But thanks to them, we've been preparing in advance. What we're seeing right now is that they are in line with the projections, 8 to 11 inches. This time we're seeing, as you said, an inch an hour, and we are still asking New Yorkers [to] stay home. There's still far too many New Yorkers on the roads, to be honest with you. When you're on the road, you're also making it more difficult for city workers to actually be able to do their job.
Zohran MamdaniCheck at the sourceAnd frankly, that's because of the work of these city workers. They're doing great, great work right now.
Zohran MamdaniCheck at the sourceWell, I think the key here is for New Yorkers to know that when the snow stops, it doesn't mean the hazard stops. When you have the sleet, you have the rain, you have the icy conditions, that's actually when it can get the most dangerous. And so, you know, you can actually monitor what our Department of Sanitation is doing from PlowNYC. It's an available website for everyone to check in to see how many times the plows are hitting the streets across the city. What we ask is just [to] stay home.
Zohran MamdaniCheck at the sourceWe are moving through it. Let me tell you, we're moving through it. We have about 700 salt spreaders. We have more than 2,000 snowplows, and as you said, this is now the largest snow fighting force in the nation. We started at 2,000 sanitation workers for every 12-hour shift. That's now gone up to 2,500 sanitation workers. They are all across the city. They are doing incredible work. I was actually with them at the 6 a.m. shift change, and what you saw were those who were doing the work in advance, those who were doing the work in the moment, and this is really a time for New Yorkers to stay warm, stay safe, and just be thankful, frankly, for the work of these incredible city workers.
Zohran MamdaniCheck at the sourceExactly, and I think that's the key part, is that we can only get through this if we get through it together. Everybody has a role to play, and I know that for some students who are disappointed that tomorrow's not a traditional snow day, I do have to say to you, if you see me outside, you can pelt me in the face with a snowball. I agree.
Zohran MamdaniCheck at the source If you come close, you can just, you know, whatever you need to do.
Zohran MamdaniCheck at the source
Every passage above is taken from this recording: NYC Mayor's Office transcripts, Transcript: Mayor Mamdani Appears Live on the Weather Channel to Give a Winter Weather Update.