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Mamdani officials set to be questioned over 18 cold deaths
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Elizabeth Kim
Published Feb 9, 2026
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Elizabeth Kim/Gothamist
By
Elizabeth Kim
Published Feb 9, 2026
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So far 18 people have died in the cold snap that has gripped New York City for weeks, and now Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s response to the extreme weather will be scrutinized by the City Council.
Administration officials from the Department of Social Services, including a commissioner who announced her resignation on Monday, and public safety are set to appear at an oversight hearing Tuesday, the first of his nascent administration. Councilmembers will likely press them on whether the administration could have done more to prevent the deaths.
The hearing, which is open to the public, comes one day after Mamdani announced another outdoor death during the historically freezing stretch, bringing the death toll to 18, and after Molly Wasow Park, the city’s social services commissioner, said she would step down. She had been appointed to the role by former Mayor Eric Adams.
“In my lifetime, I’ve never witnessed this many people die in this short of time due to extreme weather conditions,” said Crystal Hudson, a Democratic Councilmember from Brooklyn who is co-chairing the hearing. “It’s shocking.”
Some Republican councilmembers, including Joann Ariola from Queens, have accused city officials of not being aggressive enough in forcing the homeless to come indoors during dangerous conditions. Ariola has also questioned whether the city is adhering to freezing weather protocols that seek to fasttrack people into shelter.
After being dealt one of the biggest snowstorms in years last month, Mamdani has been contending with weeks of below-freezing weather that has created dangerous conditions for people living on the street.
Tuesday’s proceedings will be the first oversight hearing on Mamdani’s administration since he was sworn in on Jan. 1. In addition to being a test for his officials, it will also provide the first glimpse at how aggressively the progressive Council probes an issue that has become a political problem for Mamdani.
The mayor’s decision to halt the removal of homeless encampments has particularly been under criticism from both ends of the political spectrum. The Daily News last month published an editorial calling on the mayor to reinstitute the removals. Queens Borough President Donovan Richards, an ally of Mamdani, has also openly disagreed with him on the issue.
Mamdani has defended his decision, arguing that encampment crackdowns only dispersed the homeless to other locations. City officials have said that none of those who died outside were found in an encampment.
Mamdani has said, however, that involuntary removals for individuals who pose a danger to themselves or others — including because of the cold temperature — remain a last-resort option.
The city’s preparation ahead of the extreme cold weather will also be scrutinized. Hudson told Gothamist that she questioned whether the city had been “nimble” enough when the frigid temperatures set in.
At the start of the cold stretch the city had only five warming centers — one in each borough, according to a press release from the mayor's office.
“We need to think ahead in moments of crisis,” Hudson said.
Since the deaths began, the Mamdani administration has introduced a number of emergency measures. They include deploying 62 warming centers and vehicles over the recent frigid weekend, and making new shelter and hotel beds available.
But recent conditions on the ground nonetheless raise questions about how effectively the city has communicated the availability of these resources to the city’s homeless population.
Gothamist recently reported on a lack of signage and communications about a warming bus at the Staten Island Ferry Terminal in Battery Park, a stumble that Mamdani accepted responsibility for during an interview on WNYC’s Brian Lehrer Show.
Norman Siegel, who runs a volunteer outreach group that noticed the signage problems, said City Hall has canceled two monthly coordination meetings between his team and Department of Social Services officials.
Siegel said last week that he was pleased to discover a large sign about the warming buses installed on the second floor of the Staten Island Ferry Terminal. But he said that the warming buses themselves still needed more prominent signage.
“The mayor gets an A for intent but C for implementation,” Siegel said.
At an unrelated press conference in Brooklyn on Monday, Mamdani said the city had served around 860 people at warming centers over the coldest weekend of the year. “We have been working hard to keep New Yorkers safe, and we will continue to do so,” the mayor said.
Gothamist was denied a request to observe conditions at a warming center near Times Square on Sunday. And a city official also did not allow a reporter to enter a warming van across the street.
Matthew Rauschenbach, a City Hall spokesperson, said city officials do not allow reporters to enter places of shelter as a rule out of privacy concerns.
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City hall
Politics
Zohran Mamdani
new york city
Elizabeth Kim
Elizabeth Kim is a reporter on the People and Power desk who covers mayoral power. She previously covered the pandemic, housing, redevelopment and public spaces. A native of Queens, she speaks fluent Mandarin. Got a tip? Email [email protected]
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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