There have been “a few accidents in the last hour” on New York City streets due to the winter storm, said Christina Farrell, commissioner of the city’s Emergency Management Department.
As the evening progresses and heavy snow bands continue to move onshore, road travel is quickly becoming difficult to impossible in many areas, including NYC. The city is forecasted to accumulate at least 12 inches of snow.
Earlier today, Mayor Zohran Mamdani issued a travel ban that takes effect at 9 p.m. and lasts until noon Monday. The ban is “first and foremost” about public safety, but it will also help the city clear the roads, Farrell said.
“The less cars on the road, the easier it is for (sanitation workers) to get the roads clear,” she told CNN’s Jessica Dean this evening.
The city’s sanitation, transportation and parks departments are all working, Farrell said. There are 2,600 sanitation workers on rotating 12-hour shifts, she said, and paid contractors are expected to start clearing bus shelters, sidewalks and other pedestrian areas tonight.
