Transcript: Mayor Adams Appears Live on NY1's "Mornings on 1"

February 13, 2024

Pat Kiernan: The agencies got on to this early yesterday when it was clear that there would be a significant accumulation of snow and they have responded. The Sanitation Department says there are 700 salt trucks and a couple of a thousand plows ready to go today. They will be out there keeping the roads clear and the bike lanes clear. 

This is a remote learning day for city public school students. Alternate side parking rules are suspended for the day. Libraries made a decision early that they are going to remain closed today. today. With me now, Mayor Adams and City Sanitation Commissioner Jessica Tisch. Good morning to both of you. 

Mayor Eric Adams: Good morning. Good to speak with you, Pat. 

Kiernan: Mayor Adams, if you can take us through the response so far and what are you seeing out there as this snow shifts from a real wet snow overnight into accumulating snow this morning? 

Mayor Adams: Well, first, we want to tell New Yorkers don't be fooled. If you started out early today, you probably looked and said, well, this is just a little rain, what's the big deal? No, this has the potential of being a big deal. And preparation is key. 

And Commissioner Tisch and her team are taking the necessary steps so we can keep our roadways open. And we're just really encouraging New York is if you could take public transportation, do so. If you're able to take stay home and remotely work, do so as we're doing with our children and others. 

Kiernan: Commissioner Tisch, you've done some new hiring recently. You've boasted about the fact that you've been able to replenish many of your employees. As you look at the first big snowstorm in a while, are the veterans helping out the rookies in terms of the best practices for snow fighting? 

Commissioner Jessica Tisch, Department of Sanitation: Absolutely. You know, Pat, we have the highest sanitation worker headcount that this city has seen in two decades. And that really pays major dividends in snow. We used to have this idea of primary, secondary and tertiary streets in New York City for plowing purposes. Now, every street is on a route, and every route can be dispatched at the same time. 

Kiernan: And you're able to track that with GPS technology, correct? 

Commissioner Tisch: Yep. We have new GPS technology, it's called BladeRunner 2.0, and it's a snow‑fighting management tool and it's worked really well for us the past two storms we had. We can see every street, we can see if it's been salted, if it's been plowed, and we can direct resources to parts of the city that haven't received appropriate services. 

Mayor Adams: And that was one of the big complaints, Pat, that we've had throughout the years, equity, some communities were not plowed as well as others. But now the commanders and the heads of the agency can remotely view and see exactly how often the street was plowed. And this is a great tool to make sure we get the job done, but also the equity that we deserve in the city. 

Kiernan: Mayor Adams, as soon as you made the decision that it would be a remote learning today, there were parents weighing in, some parents saying, no, I want my kids to go to school because I've got to go to work, other parents saying, I just wish my kids had a a snow day where they could take their sled out and enjoy the snow day. What went into that decision for you? 

Mayor Adams: Well we are only allowed, we must have about 180 days every year by law, and we are really fortunate that we have this tool called remote learning and not having to close schools. You can't just close schools whenever you want, the state gives us a an obligation. We have to fulfill that obligation. 

And Pat, I must remind us that there was some significant learning loss through Covid that we have to catch up. Due to the good work of the New York City Public Schools and the chancellor, we are outpacing the state in reading and math and we have to continue that momentum. Mother nature is unpredictable, but we have to be predictable in our success, and that's what we have to do. 

Kiernan: And tell me what's happening with migrant shelters in the city. There are people who have to reapply for shelter, we've seen some outdoor lineups. What changes will you make today as that snow comes down to make sure people are as safe and comfortable as possible? 

Mayor Adams: Great question. We have suspended the, today if you are 30 day or 60 day falls on today, we're not going to make any changes. We're going to allow everyone to really plow through this day and not have to worry about any shifts in delivery of services to those who are migrants and asylum seekers. 

And our HHERCs over at Floyd Bennett Field and other locations, the roofs are pitched well enough that the snow will continue to fall off them. This is part of the planning process. 

Kiernan: Commissioner Tisch, as you look at the moments after the snow falls, I want to remind people of the rules for property owners, that when the last flakes fall they have a window to clear their property. And your teams were quite aggressive in our January snowfall at going out and writing tickets for people who failed to clear the snow. 

Commissioner Tisch: Yes. So, first thing I want to tell New Yorkers is that for purposes of this snowfall, because we think the last flakes will fall before 5:00 p.m., New Yorkers will have four hours from the time the last flakes fall to clear a safe passageway on the sidewalks. It's a safety issue. It's so important. 
We did do a huge amount of enforcement of it during the last two storms, and that's because the roads were pretty good, but the sidewalks were absolutely treacherous. 

And I think New Yorkers were out of the muscle memory from doing it. It had been a while since it had snowed before in New York City. But it is really a safety issue. We don't enjoy doing the enforcement, but it's something that we have to do to keep our sidewalks safe and passable. 

Kiernan: Mayor Adams, as you look ahead to the rest of this day, what will you focus on? 

Mayor Adams: Make sure we can get our roadways cleaned not only for emergency vehicles just during the rush hour to make sure that we get to and from. And as the commissioner stated, we don't want people tripping and falling on private property, to make sure that people are reminded to clean up in front of their homes. I know I have a task to do myself and we're going to make sure it's done correctly. 

And we have a lot of faith in the Department of Sanitation and their execution and deployment of their personnel and resources. This is election day. We want to make sure the polling sites are open and make sure that they're clean so people could go and vote on the direction of this city and this country. 

Kiernan: Commissioner, what are you hearing back from some of your crews as they're out there? We just saw some pictures from the Bronx where there is now some accumulation on the roads. 

Commissioner Tisch: Yes. We are seeing definitely more snowfall in northern parts of the city, in particular in the Bronx, where the roads are starting to get a bit white. You know, Pat, we can't break the plows out until we hit two inches of accumulation. We expect in the Bronx that to be around 10:00, 11:00 a.m. especially with these heavier bands coming in now. But overnight, this has been fully a major salting operation. 

Kiernan: All right. Well, I know you'll both be out and about inspecting the work of those crews yourself. I see that you're dressed for it already. 

Mayor Adams: [Laughter] gotta inspect what you expect or it's all suspect. 

Kiernan: Thank you both for spending some time with us, and we'll track it throughout the day. 

Mayor Adams: Thank you, take care. 

Kiernan: You, too. Nine minutes after 7:00 o'clock. 

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