DOWNTOWN BROOKLYN, New York (WABC) — With brutal cold and dangerous temperatures on the way this weekend, New York City is expanding its efforts to prevent more weather-related deaths.
At least 17 deaths have been blamed on the cold weather in recent weeks.
“We are now headed into what will be some of the coldest days yet, with real feel temperatures plummeting to 10 below, these will be lethal conditions,” Mayor Zohran Mamdani said. “Being outside for even a short period of time could pose a severe risk.”
Mamdani was blunt. Homeless outreach is being intensified Friday night, and he is imploring the city’s most vulnerable residents to come in from the cold.
“To those who may consider themselves more comfortable on the streets. I want to speak directly to you, to implore you to come inside,” he said. “These temperatures are too low and too dangerous to survive. Please wait out the cold in a safe place with a warm bed.”
In the coming hours, thousands of MTA buses will be inspected, with a particular focus on the heating systems.
“They’re going to be fueling and checking fluids and tires on the buses, but when it gets to those extreme cold temperatures, you’re going to see that we’re putting additional manpower out to do additional checks on the heating system, which you saw us doing here,” said an MTA bus depot manager.
To keep the trains rolling and warm, inspections are being stepped up in the subway system.
Extreme temperatures can cause rails to crack, and track inspectors will be paying close attention to that.
Nearly two weeks after the storm, there are still filthy mountains of snow on streetcorners throughout the city, and ice is still piled up around fire hydrants. In many places, cars are still plowed under and frozen over.
“This is an all hands on deck operation, and I am deeply grateful to our partner agencies for stepping up to expand our outreach throughout this difficult period, the feedback we have received directly from New Yorkers has also proved vital,” Mamdani said.
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