Steve Bender: Joining us now on the phone is New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani. Mayor, thank you for being with us today. What's your biggest message to New Yorkers as they wake up and they feel another dangerously hot day, and what resources are actually available for them?
Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani: First, I just have to say it's a pleasure to be on. Thanks for having me, especially as we're here on what is one of the hottest days our city has seen in more than a decade. And with the heat index rising to about 112, we are encouraging all New Yorkers to stay safe, and the best way to do so is to stay indoors and stay cool. This is a day, and frankly a weekend, to stay hydrated and to make sure that you're putting on your sunscreen, you are taking your breaks, and if you are feeling any trouble breathing, any disorientation, dizziness, nausea, or any other symptoms of heat-related illness, that you call 911 and take that precaution.
Ari Sarsalari: So, I'm curious what it's like behind the scenes when you're considering activating that Heat Emergency Plan. Do you get your briefings directly from the National Weather Service? I'm kind of curious what specifically goes into that decision to pull the trigger on that.
Mayor Mamdani: You know, it starts, as you say, with the forecast. So, we work closely with the National Weather Service and our own Emergency Management weather team. And when we see a stretch of heat that is this dangerous, we then start coordinating with our health partners and first responders days in advance, because what we need to do is give our partners time to deliver on what we have right now, which is hundreds of cooling centers across the five boroughs so New Yorkers have a place to go. And when we're talking about the heat, you know, it might be tempting to think of this just your typical summer weather, but frankly, when we're looking at triple-digit days and the heat index that goes even beyond that, this is the kind of weather that reminds us that 500 New Yorkers lose their lives every year to heat-related illness, and we need to take every precaution we can. And so, whether it's the cooling centers or it's extending the hours of mid-size and Olympic-size swimming pools to 8:30 p.m., or it's for the first time in our city's history having cooling vans outside, we're looking to do everything we can to make it easier for New Yorkers to stay cool.
Bender: Yeah, mayor, it really seems like extreme heat impacts everything. It also strains the power grid, transportation, and the city services. You said on X that "during a historic heat wave, AC will save lives, but only if we can keep that grid stable enough for it to stay on." So, what are your concerns with the power grid, and what can New Yorkers do to avoid a worst-case scenario?
Mayor Mamdani: When you see heat that is to this extent — when we're talking about a heat index of 112 — it also means we're going to see an immense and intense demand on our city's energy system. And so, what we have been encouraging New Yorkers to do is whatever they can to reduce that demand, because what it does is it allows for a utility grid to continue through this weekend, continue providing what is, frankly, lifesaving, whether it's air conditioning or it's even beyond that. Now, on our end as the City, we're doing everything we can, working with our partners in the utility system to not only prepare in advance of this day, but whenever there is an outage, to be able to turn that around as quickly as possible so that no New Yorker is in danger of the heat.
Sarsalari: Yeah, I've seen some of the bigger cities have been delaying and even, you know, shutting down some outdoor stuff like parades. Is there a certain threshold where you would consider shutting down outdoor events?
Mayor Mamdani: It's about the full picture of conditions and the risk to people who are there, so we've been working event to event with the organizers and making sure that they have plans for not only water but shade, cooling, adjusting their timing, misting stations, because we want to make it very clear that if New Yorkers want to be a part of what is a historic weekend with the 250th anniversary of our nation, the 50th anniversary of the Macy's fireworks, the World Cup, that they actually be safe while they're doing so. And if conditions reach a point where we don't believe we can keep people safe, then public safety is going to come first every time.
Sarsalari: So, I know New York City — obviously part of the country that can get extremes in both the winter and the summer. And, you know, in the span of just a few months, you've had to manage a couple of winter storms. Now we've got a heat emergency. You know, is there anything different about planning for a blizzard versus planning for a heat emergency? Is one more expensive or more difficult than the other?
Mayor Mamdani: Well, I’ve got to be honest, I learned that the "m" in mayor stands for meteorologist. And whether it is some of the hottest weather we've seen in our city or some of the coldest weather, we know that the lesson is the same, which is: use every tool you have to deliver for New Yorkers. And frankly, what we saw in the cold front at a time when it was actually colder in New York City than in parts of Antarctica is that there were a few tools we used that helped New Yorkers in a way that they hadn't yet seen before. And one of those was having mobile vans that could provide New Yorkers with relief right outside. And so, in the winter, it was a warming van; in the summer, now it's a COOL van where we have electrolytes, water, sunscreen, a place to just take a break from the heat. And what we've also coupled with that is, for the first time, having a set of city workers who go and check in on seniors who anyone is worried about, and we've checked in on more than a thousand seniors to see if there’s anything they need, if there’s anything that we could help with, because these temperatures — they're dangerous for everyone. They're especially dangerous for our older New Yorkers and those who have respiratory illnesses or any conditions of that nature.
Bender: Mayor, before we let you go, we had to jump on to the viral trend and make a weather version of this. So, I want to get your insight. What do you think of this? "My mayor is Muslim, my bagel is Jewish, my Christian Dior, my thermostat is set on 74.”
Mayor Mamdani: You know, I'd say I think [it’s] pretty good. If you just put it up by four more degrees, then I'd be there with you.
Bender: To 78!
Sarsalari: My house was 81 yesterday. That was comfortable.
Bender: Well, you got a big house. You got an estate.
Sarsalari: It works, it works.
Bender: Mayor Mamdani, thank you for joining us here on Fox Weather.
Mayor Mamdani: All the best, guys. Thank you.
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