Transcript: Mayor Adams Appears Live on ABC 7's "Eyewitness News"

September 29, 2023

Bill Ritter: As we have seen, this has been a mess, and the biggest city in the country experiencing the biggest mess.

Sade Baderinwa: So, how did New York City fare? Mayor Adams joining us on the phone tonight. And Mayor, thank you for joining us. We've been talking about the widespread flooding and it's just so tough to get around. Where do we stand right now?

Mayor Adams: I was out early this morning, Sade, and what I noticed, the roads were pretty difficult to get around. I was out in Canarsie, Flatbush as well as Sheepshead Bay and other parts of the city. And you know, we've got to take our hats our hats off to, number one, New Yorkers who did the right thing and not overcrowd the roads; and number two, our first responders.

We have been communicating since 2:45 yesterday. All of our news stations were talking about this and preparing New Yorkers. And you know, we're used to these storms. We've had them before. They're getting more and more frequent, but New Yorkers know that you have to respond accordingly.

Ritter: Mayor, yes, and it's been hard on everyone. You said though people staying home a lot of them but perhaps toughest has been on New Yorkers with kids trying to get them to and from schools. Should the schools have closed today, especially the Department of Education school buses canceling some of their routes and subways have been a mess, buses jam, you know all this.

Mayor Adams: No, that would have been the worst thing to do. I really commend the chancellor. You know, think about it, Bill. You know, listen, if those who can operate remotely and they can stay home with their children or if you know they can stay in a room where they created office spaces for the kids, it's fine. But what do you do to the store clerk, the police officer, the firefighter, the EMS operator? It is so disruptive when you state that all of a sudden you have to figure out childcare for your child.

And I said this during Covid, and we are consistent: the safest place for a child is in school. And some of these children do not have the meals during the day. Having that breakfast and that lunch, a stable environment, not hanging out on the street corners, not being with their friends, continue to get a safe environment.

And listen, it's going to take us a little longer to get home and a little longer to get to school, but once they're there, it's a safe environment. Kudos to the chancellor for making the right call.

Baderinwa: Well, mayor, let me ask you this. I know Brooklyn was one of the hardest hit areas, we've just seen widespread flooding. We just checked in with Lauren Glassberg and it seems to be receding in some of the worst parts of the area. Are there any areas in particular that you're concerned with at this moment?

Mayor Adams: Really near the train stations. You know, the train stations are considered to be the lifeblood of our city, it's a major disruption when you have flooding. When you're near some of the train stations like the Prospect Park area near the F Line, and you're seeing other train stations where you saw heavy flooding. I saw some of that over by the park area.

But the water will recede, it is receding. As I was moving around the city a little over an hour ago I noticed that it is receding. And New Yorkers are making their way, slower pace. But we'll get through this. The weather is going to...the storm is going to pass and we're going to get through this with the professionals we have and New Yorkers responding.

Ritter: Yes, until the next major flood. You know, there's going to be sunshine on Sunday, but we're going to get more floods. I think that's our new lifestyle. There's no way to get around that. Mayor Adams, we appreciate… I know you're busy, thank you for taking time to talk to us.

Mayor Adams: Thank you. Take care.

Baderinwa: Thank you, Mayor.

Ritter: Good luck.

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