Jim Cantore: Well, it's one thing managing a city of [8.5] million people on a dry, sunny day, but what about when you throw 8 to 18 inches of snow into the mix? Mayor Zohran Mamdani, thanks for taking the time to talk to us here. It's no secret that mayors in the past have had some problems with snow in New York, and they have some little checkmarks by them. What are you going to do to make sure that you don't have that kind of a checkmark by you?
Mayor Zohran Mamdani: We're going to take every single step that we can. We're going to use every single tool in our toolbox, and frankly, it comes back to the incredible men and women we have working for this city. Just at 6 a.m. today, we had DSNY brining our highways and major roadways. We're going to see 2,000 sanitation workers tomorrow starting 12-hour shifts where they're going to be salting the streets as soon as we see the first snowflake and starting to see 700 salt spreaders activated as soon as we see two inches of snow. Because all of this, like you said, there's a range of snow we could see in this city. We want to be prepared for every possibility.
Cantore: What do you make of that? I mean, when somebody says, okay [there will be] 8 to 18 inches, it's like, okay, guys, which one is it?
Mayor Mamdani: No, I know there's a frustration amongst New Yorkers who just want to know what it's going to be. We want to let you know that no matter what it is, we're going to be prepared. As we get closer to it, we'll obviously have a better idea, but right now, it's still quite a spectrum of possibility.
Cantore: So you and I were talking before we came out here, and I was like, “Mr. Mayor, it's not only just the snow, but we may see days and days and days where it doesn't even get above 32 degrees.” So now you're talking about a cold issue. Are you prepared to deal with that as well? Because they're one right after the other.
Mayor Mamdani: Absolutely. I think it's important for New Yorkers who are thinking about how they're going to spend their weekend. I would encourage everyone to spend as much time [at] home as possible, right? Sunday is the perfect time to watch some terrible reality TV with your family and friends. Don't leave it as the day to get your new winter coat or your groceries. That's today. Do that today.
But what we would say, is there's also a Code Blue in effect, and that's partially because of the cold front that you're talking about, where we're doubling up our outreach to homeless New Yorkers to try and connect them with shelter, so that they don't have to sleep outside during a moment where–as you said, it's going to be incredibly cold. Leaving [aside] the amount of snow that we're going to see.
Cantore: And how do people get that information? You know, how do they get that information to go to warming centers and things like that?
Mayor Mamdani: So, there are two things. One is that we're not waiting for people to come to us. We're going out there making the case to people themselves directly. The second thing is we encourage New Yorkers to sign up for Notify NYC. This is a notification system. Millions of New Yorkers have already signed up where you get real-time updates from the city so that, let's say you're a parent of a schoolchild in New York City Public Schools.
You want to know, is it going to be a remote learning day on Monday or is it going to be in-person learning. We're going to make that decision by Sunday at noon. We're going to let everyone know whether it's on TV, but also through Notify NYC.
Cantore: What do you think the kids are cheering for?
Mayor Mamdani: I got to be honest. There's a kid who found my wife's email, sent their case for why there should be a snow day. It was a great argument. Not going to see a snow day on Monday, but it is either going to be remote learning or in-person.
Cantore: Okay. Well, fantastic. Let's talk about where we go in terms of school and maybe in the next week. Would you ever cancel it because of [the] cold or just go back to the remote [learning] because of snow removal and things like that? Same philosophy, in other words.
Mayor Mamdani: To be honest with you, we're also facing a state law that requires a certain amount of days of instruction. Over the last few years, as the city has added more holidays to the school calendar, that flexibility doesn't exist anymore for a traditional snow day. What that means is if there's too much snow to ask students to come to school, there has to be remote learning at home.
I also know that this has a massive impact on parents' lives and whether they have to change their daily schedule for finding childcare. And so, what we're also going to be doing is making a decision on Sunday so that if there isn't that much snow, we can still let kids just come to school.
Cantore: And certainly going forward, in terms of the warming huts and stuff like that, is this something where [you say], “Hey look, we know what we're facing, we know how long it's going to be, will we have to open up more, will we have to kind of coordinate that,” maybe add to the list if you will?
Mayor Mamdani: We're going to be prepared. If anything intensifies, the city is also going to intensify its approach. We procured 700 million pounds of salt to be prepared for this weekend. That's because we want to make sure that we're not taken by surprise. If we need anything else in addition to what we have, we're going to find a way to deliver it.
Cantore: Do you envision a situation, because I'm sure you've been briefed on this too, we could be [seeing] one to three inches per hour and that's hard to keep up with. [Do] you kind of pull the trucks and say, “Hey guys, let's give it a couple hours and then we'll go back out and attack it” or are you just going to stay right on it?
Mayor Mamdani: My sense right now is that we're going to stay right on it. I think the important thing though is that beyond that, we have to do the work in advance. So that's what makes the 6 a.m. brining today so critical, because that means that it's actually easier to maintain and even get out of this storm [at] the end of it.
Cantore: So yesterday, I watched you and now I'm talking to you in person and you're kind of jacked up about this. Even a little bit more than I am as a meteorologist. What gives?
Mayor Mamdani: Look man, I think this is the mark of an administration of whether you're ready to actually respond. As much as we talk about politics, what New Yorkers want to know is, can I keep living my life the way that I have been? We want to let the incredible New Yorkers who call this city home know that every single person who works for this city is dedicated and focused on making this a weekend where we meet the challenge.
Cantore: Is this a thing with you though? [Do] you like doing any kind of interviews outside? You like being outside?
Mayor Mamdani: I love being outside. I love being outside. I mean, [these] are the words of Jadakiss. J to the Muah, we outside.
Cantore: And we may talk to you again on Monday outside when it's about 15 to 20 degrees colder, if you'd like.
Mayor Mamdani: Maybe I'll see you inside then.
Cantore: Thank you Mr. Mayor. Really, really appreciate that.
Mayor Mamdani: My pleasure.
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