‘Stay inside’
Blaz warns city to prep for major blizzard
BRACE YOURSELVES, New Yorkers — it’s gonna be a big one.
Mayor de Blasio issued a hazardous travel advisory for the five boroughs this weekend in anticipation of heavy snowfall that will begin early Saturday.
Anywhere from 8 to 12 inches will be dumped on the city and surrounding areas.
More snow could arrive overnight and keep flurries going into Sunday morning, experts said.
As blizzards go, this one is shaping up to be a doozy, said the National Weather Service.
It will bring brutally high winds, dangerous inland flooding and possibly even thunder snow, an ugly mix of two types of storms.
“We want people to take these warnings very seriously,” de Blasio said Thursday. “Stay inside, don’t take risks.”
The city has suspended alternate-side parking regulations for Saturday.
The Sanitation Department has already upped its manpower, dedicating two 12-hour shifts starting Friday, with 2,400 workers per shift.
State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman also issued a warning of his own to businesses Thursday — no price gouging.
Anyone caught jacking up the prices for winter essentials — such as generators, food, water, gas, batteries, flashlights — will be prosecuted, Schneiderman said.
“Dangerous winter storms are not a time for businesses to exploit New Yorkers in order to line their pockets,” he said.
His office created a hotline — (800) 771-7755 — for people to call if they think they’ve been gouged.
“I encourage consumers to report any businesses that may be capitalizing on this snowstorm to distort their prices,” he said.
With the worst of the storm expected to be over by Sunday, Mayor de Blasio said schools will likely open Monday.
The streets should be cleared by then, he said.
However, that could change if the forecast takes a turn, he said.
Last year, Gov. Cuomo created a stir by shutting the subway system without informing the mayor for a snowstorm.
De Blasio said this year he’s in constant communication with the governor.
“I think we all learned some good lessons from that situation,” he said.
The nation’s capital — right in the blizzard’s bull’s-eye — could get up to 2 feet of snow. “This will be a rare event for the region as there are not many storms that bring a foot or more of snow over such a large area,” said Accuweather meteorologist Elliot Abrams.