Mayor Zohran Mamdani: Good morning, everyone. Before I speak about the winter weather that will soon arrive, I want to share the details of the fire that tragically took the life of a New Yorker this morning. Shortly after midnight, a four-alarm fire broke out on the 15th, 16th, and 17th floors of a residential building in Eastchester in the Bronx. Thanks to the immediate response of the FDNY, this fire is now under control. Fifteen people were injured, and tragically, one New Yorker passed away.
I mourn their loss and send my deepest condolences to their family. FDNY and EMS personnel are on site. They are managing fire suppression, safety operations, and building conditions. I am grateful to them and to every single city agency that responded to this emergency. This has been a whole-of-government response. FDNY worked in tandem with EMS, NYPD, DOB, NYCEM, and other agencies to manage the scene and support those affected. Utilities in the building have been shut down, and all 148 apartments have been vacated.
We have opened a reception center for displaced residents at a nearby school and are working closely with the Red Cross. I visited residents there this morning, and as you can imagine, this has been a deeply frightening and devastating morning for them. They are not alone. Our city will stand by them and do everything in our power to help them get back on their feet. There will continue to be a heavy emergency response presence in the area as operations continue, and I want to encourage New Yorkers to avoid the area and be prepared for heavy traffic delays in its vicinity.
An investigation into the cause of the fire is underway, and we will continue to share information with New Yorkers as we have. And as we tend to our neighbors affected by this fire, I want to thank all of those who run towards danger in this city so that others can run towards safety. These are the city workers that keep us safe every single day, who keep the city running, and who are leading our efforts to prepare for the winter storm that will soon arrive.
Now as for the storm, late this evening, snow will begin to fall in our city. Here is what New Yorkers should expect. Snowfall will begin around midnight, and it will intensify around 5 a.m. We expect 2 inches to come down before midday Sunday, at which point plow vehicles will begin operations across our city. Snow will fall at its heaviest rate in the late morning of tomorrow and early afternoon. Visibility will be very low. Winds will be gushing at speeds of up to 35 miles per hour.
New Yorkers can expect whiteout or near blizzard conditions. We anticipate that by Sunday evening, the snow will become sleet. By early Monday morning, the heaviest of the weather will have passed, although some precipitation could continue through the day. We expect at least 8 to 9 inches of snow, and likely more. This will not just be snow. This storm will also bring with it intense cold, a prolonged period of frigid temperatures that will last through the next week.
Frankly, it will be colder than any sustained period that New York has experienced in about 8 years. But New York, whatever comes for it, this city is ready. Over the past days, city workers have worked tirelessly to prepare our city for the snow and for the cold, and [the] City government has worked together in a way that should make every New Yorker proud.
DSNY workers have brined every highway and major roadway in our city. Teachers and public school staff have made sure that students have the devices they will need to learn from, should classes be held remotely on Monday. And school staff also did additional pressure testing last night and will continue over the weekend to ensure that, if needed, virtual learning can operate seamlessly. NYCHA has increased staffing should there be need for weather-related repairs.
And parks workers have also pre-salted our parks. The FDNY has increased the number of firefighters with each engine company. It is also operating under enhanced readiness, and the MTA has activated both its Incident Command System and its Emergency Operations Center. Additionally, NYC's Emergency Management Department has activated their winter weather plan and held daily coordination calls with city, state, and utility partners, as well as with the National Weather Service.
We have monitored 311 reports from past snowstorms to gather information on where city services were previously inadequately provided. Areas where not enough salt was laid, for example, areas that were overlooked, and we are now going to be addressing those shortcomings in advance of the storm. The result is a city where every agency is working in lockstep with the other. We are thoroughly equipped, and we are ready for whatever winter weather comes this Sunday.
Make no mistake, we are taking every precaution, and we are prepared for every possible amount of snow. The Code Blue that we declared on Thursday evening continues to be in effect, with homeless services outreach workers canvassing the five boroughs and connecting homeless New Yorkers with shelter. No one will be denied. All hospitals, all Department of Homeless Services drop-in centers, and all DHS shelters have a fully open-door policy. This means that we have enough shelter beds available for every single New Yorker in need.
Should homeless New Yorkers require hospital services, DHS will also connect daily with hospital emergency departments to assess needs and capacity. Please call 311 if you or someone you need requires access to warmth. During Code Blue periods, 311 calls will be rerouted through 911. We will not squander a single moment when it comes to ensuring that every single New Yorker is safe, is warm, and is inside.
Beginning today, we will also have more than 2,000 DSNY workers staffing each 12-hour shift. They will lay down salt as soon as snow starts to fall, and they will launch plowing operations soon after. We have more than 700 salt spreaders and 2,300 plow vehicles ready to be deployed. This is the largest snow fighting operation in the entire country. DSNY will be supported by the NYPD, who are on standby to provide escorts if needed. EMS will also work closely with NYPD, and ambulances will also receive escorts if necessary.
On Sunday morning, NYCEM will activate its Emergency Operations Center. This will be managed by NYCEM staff, with representatives from major agencies and utilities present in person. School facility, custodial, and operational teams will also be working throughout the weekend to ensure that schools are safe and cleared if schools reopen on Monday for in-person learning. And when medical services are required, ambulances will arrive no matter what.
Snow chains are on tires, extra ambulances are out in the field, FDNY tow trucks will be available, as will citywide tow trucks if needed, and the EOC will monitor a stuck ambulance dashboard in real time, with dispatch prepared to send out new units to respond to a call if an ambulance en route is stuck or has an issue.
Make no mistake, New Yorkers, the full power of this city's enormous resources are prepared, poised, and ready to be deployed. We and our partners are also taking precautions to protect New Yorkers' safety. Citi Bike service will be suspended beginning at 12 p.m. tomorrow. Early voting has been suspended for tomorrow as well as Monday by the State Board of Elections. And we will continue to share updates via Notify NYC, and I urge New Yorkers who are watching to do as 34,000 of their neighbors have done over the last two days and sign up to receive information directly from the city by texting NOTIFYNYC to 692-692.
Now no matter the weather, the hardworking men and women of DSNY, Emergency Management, First Response, and so many other parts of City government will continue to do their jobs. But I am asking New Yorkers to also do everything they can to make those jobs just a little bit easier. On Sunday and Monday, a hazardous travel advisory will be in effect.
Please, if you can avoid it, do not drive, do not travel, do not do anything that can potentially place you or your loved ones in danger. Instead, I urge every New Yorker who can to put a warm sweater on, turn on the TV, watch Mission Impossible for the 10th time, above all, to stay inside. We are ready for this storm together, and together, New York, we are going to get through this. Stay warm. Stay prepared. Stay safe. Thank you very much.
Question: I'm curious about what you said in terms of the preparation that you did, looking at places that were not properly served or underserved last time. Can you talk about that a little more? It sounds like you're really placing a focus on the preparation and making sure that those areas are serviced. And secondly, what can we expect from you tomorrow? Where might we see you? And your message for, you know, the thousands of city employees that are going to help get the city through this tomorrow?
Mayor Mamdani: I think first and foremost, I want to say thank you to the incredible men and women that are city employees across the city. What we are seeing is that they have already been hard at work for days in preparation for this storm. I can stand here in front of you and give you these updates about DSNY workers having brined highways and major roadways because they started doing that at 6 a.m. yesterday morning. I can tell you about the emergency first response because it's already being done right now.
And I also really want to credit my deputy mayor for Operations, Julia Kerson, who has been doing an incredible job in preparing our City government for this moment and also in ensuring, as you pointed out, that we are learning from past mistakes, that we are quite literally pouring through 311 reports from previous snowstorms so that there is no New Yorker on Sunday who wonders whether because of their zip code or their neighborhood, they're receiving a different level of service. Every single New Yorker is going to receive the same level of service where we prepare the city, take care of the city, and then get the city back on its feet in time after the storm.
Question: [Inaudible] tomorrow?
Mayor Mamdani: I will be out and around supporting our city workers and communicating with New Yorkers because I know that for many New Yorkers, what we cannot have happen is that they have not been told of what to expect. And so we are looking to utilize every medium, whether it's speaking to New Yorkers who are watching their TVs, turning on their radios, who are looking at social media.
We want them to know this is a serious storm at a minimum. We are looking at 8 to 9 inches of snow. We are prepared for every eventuality. And we ask that everyone do their part so the incredible city workers across the five boroughs can do theirs.
Question: I wonder if you could just go back to the beginning, you know, Mark Levine had said that a boiler explosion had caused that fire. If you have any details about that. And then secondly, because I know my mom would ask, where's your hat?
Mayor Mamdani: I was going to put it back at you. Glass houses. Well, I don't have a good answer for where my hat is. But I will tell you that we are looking into every single detail about this morning's fire. I am thankful for the emergency services that have been provided by city agencies across the board. And I can tell you that this morning, I hugged the woman in whose apartment that fire began. I could smell the fire still on her clothes. She was crying as she was mourning everything that she had lost. And I know that we are lucky, frankly, and it's thanks to the work of so many around me and those who are still on the scene, that for many New Yorkers, all that they lost were their belongings. But that still holds everything.
There are other New Yorkers who lost their pets. There's a New Yorker who lost their life and there are others who are in the hospital. So we'll be conducting a full investigation. And I'm frankly, thankful, additionally for the work of the American Red Cross, who have been providing blankets, food, and we'll be connecting a number of those New Yorkers, alongside the work of HPD and City government into immediate shelter over the next few days.
Question: What's been the coolest niche weird thing you've learned in your first time managing the response to a snowstorm?
Mayor Mamdani: I think grasping the enormity of the work that city workers do every day, in and out. I mean, these workers, some of whom we have here, some of whom [are] alongside me. We are talking about people who keep this city running. And while I am looking into every camera I can find to say, New Yorkers stay home. These are the New Yorkers who are going out. They are rushing out into the very conditions that are dangerous enough for us to ask people to avoid them.
And the gratitude I have for these workers, truly, knows no bounds. Because the other day I celebrated a graduating class at DSNY, I was there alongside the commissioner. And along with the close to a hundred new DSNY workers, we also were celebrating workers who had been there for 20 years, 30 years, 40 years. I think there was a man who was there for 50 years. People who have given their lives to the city. And we owe them a debt of gratitude because what they have done is allow for this to be the greatest city in the world.
Question: [Inaudible].
Mayor Mamdani: So I can tell you for right now on Sunday, we are advising everyone to stay home. We will get back to you on the exact specifics of your question. Our focus is on Sunday. It's also the day where by 12 PM, the chancellor and I will inform New York City Public School students, parents, educators as to whether Monday is going to be an in-person school day or it's going to be a remote learning day.
Question: Can you kind of walk us through what you're weighing to decide whether or not to open the schools or keep everyone home? And [inaudible].
Mayor Mamdani: To put it very simply, safety. We are weighing the safety of everyone involved. We want to make sure that whatever decision we make is one where students, parents, educators will be safe. We also take this decision very seriously because we know that it has a significant impact on parents' schedules on Monday. And so we want it to be clear since yesterday of the timeline by which we would make that decision by tomorrow at 12 PM, we will share that decision. And we've also been doing a significant amount of stress testing to ensure that if we were to go remote, that the system is prepared for hundreds of thousands of students to be logging on and to have a productive school day. Thank you all so much.
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