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Mayor Bloomberg Encourages NYers To Stay Indoors Tonight
By
Ben Yakas
Published Feb 8, 2013
Modified Feb 8, 2013
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By
Ben Yakas
Published Feb 8, 2013
Modified Feb 8, 2013
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With the worst winter storm the East Coast has ever seen in the history of the universe bearing down on the city (6-12 inches? Shit just got real), Mayor Bloomberg shall take to the Office of Emergency Management in Brooklyn to give New Yorkers an update on preparations for the coming maelSNOWstrom. Will the subway system be shut down (no it won't)? Will Bloomberg wear a sweater (dear god we hope so)? And will Lydia Callis make an appearance? Watch below, and find out just after 1 p.m.!
Update: Despite no Callis, Bloomberg was decked in his finest red blizzard sweater for today's storm update. He encouraged people to leave work early today (not city workers) in anticipation of the storm, which he said is due to drop 10-14 inches altogether on the city. "You cant take nature too lightly," he noted. "Hopefully it wont be anything drastic, and it certainly wont be a Hurricane Sandy. But that doesnt mean you can't be badly hurt or killed."
Overall, Bloomberg was pretty confident this storm won't be too bad: he doesn't anticipate any evacuations, nor any need to declare an emergency on the road. Even so, he said the city was preparing for the worst: they expect coastal flooding later tonight around high tide. Alternate side parking will be suspended today and tomorrow, and parking meters will be suspended tomorrow. He added that there is no need to panic about gas supplies.
Bloomberg stressed to only use 911 for emergency calls—use 311 for everything else, including power lines, plows, street closures, etc. Underground subway service should be operating close to normal, though bus service could be curtailed to some extent.
He hopes all streets will be plowed once or twice by mid-morning Saturday, but sustained winds would hit 10-30 MPH, and gusts could be 40-50 MPH. The combination of snow and high winds will produce reduced visibility for travel, so he encouraged people to stay in tonight and tomorrow (the blizzard warning remains in effect until 1 p.m. Saturday).
As for what he'll be doing tonight? "I will be home tonight, you can rest assured." Although he hasn't decided whether to cook or get takeout, he is going to spend some time with his running machine. We guess this means there'll be no midnight voyages to Bermuda.
Tagged
Blizzard
bloomberg
mayor bloomberg
nor'easter
snow
weather
Ben Yakas
Ben Yakas is a former Gothamist reporter.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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