Paul Goodloe: We're bringing [in] the mayor of New York, Mayor Mamdani. Thanks for coming out here in the snow with us.
Mayor Zohran Mamdani: Absolutely.
Goodloe: And [I've got] lots of questions for you. The first one, I know the kids are asking for. I hear you're trying to wait till noon to make the announcement for public schools, but can you kind of break that news right now at 10 o'clock in the morning?
Mayor Mamdani: No, I'm going to be waiting till noon, but we will be letting public school students, staff, and parents know at noon of what the plans are going to be for tomorrow. We're looking to make sure we have the most accurate, up-to-date forecast.
As you know, this has been a fast-moving storm. On Friday, we thought it was going to be three to four inches. [It] climbed up to six to eight [inches] and then, it was 13 to 17 [inches]. Now, it's looking at 18 to 22 [inches] with some parts of the city forecast for about 28 inches.
Goodloe: Yeah, it seems like the years that end with six have big snow events here. But I'll tell you what, I mean, we talk about like, you know, '96, 2006, 2016, maybe '26. But let's talk about this last storm. Last, we're still seeing snow on the ground here from Wind Storm Fern. You took a lot of heat in terms of the response for this. Is that criticism viable?
Mayor Mamdani: You know, I think that what New Yorkers have come to expect time and again is that when we have a storm, we typically see the weather will actually increase in temperature. So that it's not just DSNY, it's also Mother Nature helping us to melt the ice and the snow. What we saw, however, in response to the last storm was a sustained, prolonged cold spell, some of the coldest weather the city's ever seen. And so, what we had was that snow hardening into ice. We actually had to have literal ice melters across the city, one in each borough at least. And that was grinding this snow and this ice into liquid. We still have one machine set running at this time. However, what we're looking at with this blizzard is that in the next couple of days, the weather is expected to get back into the 40s by Wednesday, which should greatly assist in the melting of ice and snow across the city.
Goodloe: As you mentioned, every single storm is different. That was so different. Cold, cold snow, dry snow. This storm is that heart-attack, backbreaking, trying-to-shovel snow, and maybe one to two feet of that. Is the city prepared this time around?
Mayor Mamdani: Absolutely. We are utilizing every single tool at our disposal. And it's not just DSNY; we're seeing it from our Parks Department [and] from our DOT. It's an all-of- government approach because it's the first blizzard our city has seen since 2016. We're talking about up to 22 inches citywide, up to 28 inches in certain parts of our city. And it's not just the snow. There's also a moderate chance of coastal flooding with two to two and a half feet.
And that increases in neighborhoods, whether it be like the Rockaways or whether it be The Battery or even just Staten Island as a whole. And so, DEP is working specifically with NYCEM to ensure that we have temporary flood barriers set up in those neighborhoods. But for the snow, we're transforming our Sanitation Department into the largest snow-fighting fleet in the country. 2,200 plows ready to go as soon as we hit two inches on the ground.
Goodloe: And it's not just city employees. You have this kind of new program where people can register and come out and shovel and actually get paid to do that.
Mayor Mamdani: So, it's actually a long-standing city program. It's emergency snow shovelers. We have been doing the work to try and increase the ranks of those shovelers because in the last snowstorm, we had about 500 people out there. We've now brought that up to 1,400 people. 300 are starting on a new evening shift tonight. We're going to have 800 tomorrow morning, and then we'll have a 1,400 pool. But if people are watching right now, you can still go and sign up at any sanitation garage near you until 1 p.m. You can show up in person [or] go to nyc.gov/snow. You'll find everything you need.
Goodloe: And what's your message to New Yorkers here? Because this is, like you mentioned, perhaps the first blizzard we've seen here in about 10 years.
Mayor Mamdani: Well, you know, it's funny because in 2016, we had a blizzard. In 2017, we thought we were going to have a blizzard, and then it didn't come to pass. This is a very real blizzard that we're seeing right now. And so, our message to New Yorkers is to stay safe [and] stay inside. And if you do see any homeless New Yorker who's in need, call 311. We'll reroute it to 911, and we'll get them help.
Goodloe: All right, Mr. Mayor, thank you so much for your time.
Mayor Mamdani: Thank you.
