Although it may not feel quite like November yet, winter is almost here.
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced a citywide $25 million investment across city agencies to protect New Yorkers this winter.
The investment will support an expanded Code Blue system and a supercharged snow and ice clearing operation, according to a press release from the Office of the Mayor.
According to the National Weather Service, a strong El Niňo — a climate pattern consisting over warmer-than-average sea surface temperatures in the Pacific Ocean — is expected to bring a warmer, wetter winter to New York City. The weather will increase the likelihood of rain and therefore sleet, ice and wet snow during storms.
“We have spent the past year preparing for any challenge winter throws our way,” Mamdani said. “This winter, we’re doing things differently — we’re expanding Code Blue to reach more New Yorkers in need, equipping New York’s strongest to clear snow and ice faster and leaving no stone unturned when it comes to protecting our neighbors from the cold.”
The money will go to more than 300 additional canvassers to follow routes in high-impact areas, including coverage of 75 percent of areas where homeless New Yorkers are known to say, up to 55 NYC Health + Hospitals “WARM” mobile units that provide medical support and transportation to warming centers, more designated hospitals that operate as warming centers, more than 800 additional beds as low-barrier shelter options and hiring additional nurses.
The Department of Sanitation has more than 2,200 vehicles ready to be converted into snowplows, more than 700 salt spreaders, special equipment to clear bike lanes and 7,000 workers trained to clear snow.
More than 3,000 emergency snow shovelers have been registered this year, compared with only a few hundred at this point last year.
The Department has mapped pedestrian infrastructure routes into snow removal routes, upgraded more than 650 plows with new blades, restored its existing equipment, required more than 100 snow blowers for bus stops and cross walks and secured more than 500 million pounds of salt.
“With just a few weeks until the official start of the winter,” New York City Emergency Management Commissioner Crhistina Ferrell said, “we encourage New Yorkers to review and update their winter heating safety and emergency plans.”
New Yorkers can visit nyc.gov/beready for more information.
