Zohran Mamdani declares NYC emergency, bans all travel during blizzard threatening city
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced a city-wide travel ban ahead of an expected blizzard on Sunday.
Mamdani held a press conference to announce he was declaring a state of emergency ahead of the winter storm, saying all city streets, highways and bridges will be closed to non-emergency traffic starting at 9 p.m. Sunday and remaining in effect until noon Monday.
The blanket restriction applies to all vehicles, including cars, trucks, scooters and e-bikes, with narrow exemptions granted only for essential emergency movements and critical service workers.
Millions across the Northeast are under blizzard warnings as a powerful bomb cyclone prepares to dump up to 2 feet of snow along the I-95 corridor. Experts have warned residents to expect 70 mph wind gusts, and widespread power outages as the historic storm intensifies through Sunday night.
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More than 7,000 flights had been canceled across the Northeast region as of Sunday afternoon.
New York City, Boston and Philadelphia are all projected to receive between 18 and 24 inches of snow.
The nation's capital is still expected to see 5-8 inches, along with nearby Baltimore, whose projections have come down overnight.
Blizzard warnings currently are in place for 29 million Americans.
New York City on Saturday put out a call for emergency snow shovelers ahead of the storm.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul declared a State of Emergency for New York City, and Mamdani announced outreach teams have been mobilized.
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The New York City Department of Sanitation (DSNY) announced Saturday it is recruiting temporary, per diem shovelers to remove snow and ice from public areas, including bus stops, crosswalks, fire hydrants and step streets.
While pay is generous, starting at $19.14 per hour and increasing to $28.71 per hour after the first 40 hours worked in a week, workers must meet a number of requirements to be eligible.
Shovelers must be at least 18 years old, able to perform heavy physical labor and eligible to work in the U.S., according to the department.
Fox News' Mike Rawlins and Alexandra Koch contributed to this report.