BLIZZARD OF BAHS
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As if the COVID pandemic wasn’t bad enough, a major winter snowstorm blanketed the New York region Wednesday with wet, heavy snow, threatening power and internet for families stuck working and going to school at home.
The forecast was so dire that Gov. Cuomo and New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy declared states of emergency hours before the first snowflakes fell, urging already quarantined residents to stay home and off icy roads.
“If you didn’t think we had enough on our plate, a big storm is a ’comin’,” Cuomo told reporters during a livestreamed news conference ahead of the snowfall.
“It’s a statewide situation, which makes it difficult for us, because normally when it’s just a region we can deploy,” Cuomo said.
“We have been gearing up large numbers of everything,” the governor added. “Plus, I will be out there with my shovel and I can shovel vast quantities of snow.”
Snowfall predictions ranged between 6 and 12 inches with heavy wind gusts as high as 40 to 45 mph and coastal flooding in low-lying areas. The snow started around 4 p.m. in New York City and was expected to keep going through midmorning Thursday.
Cuomo said the state had at the ready 1,832 large plows, 282 medium duty plows, 478 large loaders and 116 tow plows. That total didn’t count plows operated by local governments — including New York City’s fleet of 1,300 plow-equipped trucks and 700 salt spreaders.
Also at the ready was an army of disappointed kids throughout the region, who, despite the snow totals, could not escape school because, thanks to the coronavirus pandemic, they’re already learning at home.
Nevertheless, anticipation hung in the air for sledding and snowball fights, which are socially distant by nature.
The pandemic did add a few challenges to the already difficult challenges of snowstorm preparation.
While sanitation crews were out salting roads, food pantry workers made deliveries to people unable to make it to grocery stores or food distribution centers.
New Yorkers also looked out for each other,
Jorge Vasques, a waiter, said he was worried about a construction crew working outside the Hell’s Kitchen restaurant where he works.
“We worry about our deliveries, but we also have a construction outside,” Vasques said. “I think they might finish early because of the snow. I bring them warm drinks and food if they need it, and try to check on them often.”
Ceaser Rosette, who delivers food in the same neighborhood, said he had no choice but to endure the storm.
“Usually I try not to work in the winter, but this year is hard,” Rosette said. “I wear heavy jackets. Right now it’s not that bad, but I’m worried it gets worse later. It gets harder delivering on a bike with ice on a road or if snow gets thick.”
The pandemic also raised an unusual problem for snow plow operators in various parts of the city, where restaurant owners have erected outdoor dining structures to comply with COVID-19 restrictions.
Sanitation workers were cautioned to spread salt and plow with extra care to avoid pushing street snow into the sidewalk structures.
“There has been a lot of preparation,” Mayor de Blasio told WCBS 880 radio. “Sanitation’s been drilling now for months to work around those structures.
“We told the restaurant owners, if you can bring them in, bring them in. If you can’t, we’ll work around them. We have a lot of smaller equipment we’ve purchased over the last few years that can work around smaller spaces and it will be fine.”
De Blasio said salt has already been spread, and that plows are in positions and will get going once there is more accumulation.
“People have to help them out,” the mayor said. “Stay off the roads from this point on. If you can possibly avoid driving from this point on until tomorrow afternoon, avoid driving. We need to keep people off the roads to help Sanitation do their job.”
Among the vehicles were staying off the road was the Big Apple’s CitiBike fleet. The bicycle-sharing system planned to shut down its service at 7 p. m. Wednesday because of the inclement weather. But delivery services continued.
“I’ve been doing deliveries for five years,” said e-bike rider Edgar Evangelista, 33, making stops on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, “I’ve done storms all day. Every day. Eleven, ten hours a day.”
“There’ve been tons of orders,” he said wearily. “You go slow. There are cars. There’s people. There are accidents. You be careful.”
At Brooklyn’s MetroTech, foreman Jerome Brown, 41, was busy sweeping the Jay St. Metro-Tech station in the borough’s downtown as the snow picked up at nightfall.
“I’ve swept this walkway five times already and laid down salt. Right now, it’s early. It’s gonna get worse,” he predicted. “Hail, sleet, snow, we’re here... If you let the job eat you up, it makes the job hard.”
The MTA’s Metro-North Railroad, meanwhile, was to shut down its service early because of the snow, as employees spread salt and cleared platforms and stairs of snow and ice. They were also on standby to keep signals, switches, and the third