New York City mayor Zohran Mamdani ordered on Sunday that the entire city’s traffic network would be shut down barring emergency travel. This comes as a massive snowstorm has started to hit the US.
The travel ban begins from 9 pm and all non-essential vehicles are restricted from the roads of NYC till 12 pm on February 23, as per an alert screenshot shared by a local news reporter. “EMERGENCY ALERTS FIRING ACROSS NEW YORK CITY,” the PIX11News journalist wrote.
Several people on social media shared maps of the areas that would be affected.
“New York Mayor Mamdani has issued a state of emergency amid dangerous blizzard conditions; a travel ban begins at 9 pm ET and continues until noon ET tomorrow. All NON-ESSENTIAL VEHICLES are RESTRICTED from NYC roads!,” a page noted.
What is the situation like in New York City?
The storm had already begun to hit NYC on Sunday evening. Visibility was severely impaired with the skyscrapers of Wall Street barely visible from adjacent borough Brooklyn.
Power outages are also to be expected due to heavy snow and strong gusts of wind as per forecasters. NYC has over eight million people and Mamdani has announced that streets, bridges and highways would be shut from 9:00 pm Sunday to noon Monday.
“New York City has not faced a storm of this scale in the last decade. We are asking New Yorkers to avoid all non-essential travel,” Mamdani explained.
However, essential workers or New Yorkers travelling due to emergencies can continue to do so. One Brooklyn resident even complained that workplaces remained open though roads were not.
“It’s gonna be difficult for most New Yorkers to get around because we still have to go to work. It’s unfortunate (roads) are suspended as jobs are not gonna stop calling us in,” AFP reported him say.
Meanwhile, the National Weather Service (NWS) has warned of heavy snow, high winds, and low visibility, all of which are expected to lead to ‘dangerous to impossible’ travel conditions.
Alarm sounded over approaching snowstorm
Ahead of Mamdani’s declaration, New York Governor Kathy Hochul had sounded off the alarm bells. “The worst is yet to come. Whatever you need — any groceries, any medicines you need to be refilled at the pharmacy, any pet food you need to have — do it right now,” she said during a Sunday press briefing.
Advising New Yorkers to ‘settle in’, Hochul continued “Watch some more Olympics, read a book, catch up on the news, call your family members, call your moms — especially your moms.”
New Jersey Governor Mikie Sherrill declared a state of emergency beginning midday Sunday. In Boston, Mayor Michelle Wu closed public schools and municipal buildings on Monday.
(With AFP inputs)
