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Mayor: Roads May Be Plowed By Wednesday Night … Maybe

Bloomberg Urges Patience, But Many Say The System Broke

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East 94th Street in Brooklyn

Here’s how things looked on Dec. 28, 2010, in Brooklyn. (Photo courtesy/Richard ‘Spoon’ McCallum)

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Reporting Ginny Kosola

NEW YORK (CBS New York/AP) — On the day after the day after, New Yorkers were left wondering what happened. There are still many streets that haven’t seen a plow yet.

“I’m curious as to why none of this has been plowed yet,” one person told CBS 2′s Lou Young. “All the streets around here, very few have been plowed. One was half-plowed.”

“I think they get an F-minus,” said Arlene Buonintane of Queens Village. “I think they really screwed up because, you know, this is ridiculous. You still have ambulances that have to get out. You still have police and firefighters that have to get through and none of the side streets are plowed.”

Mobile 2 Team Reports from Dyker Heights

“This has never been like this. I think it’s because the Sanitation [Department] is short. I’m a retired sanitation worker and it has never been like this,” another resident said.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg blamed circumstance.

“We won’t get to everybody every time. We will make mistakes, but we have to continue plugging ahead. Yelling about it and complaining doesn’t help,” Bloomberg said. “I think you can expect another 24 hours before we will get to everyone and even then I’m not so sure.”

The mayor said 2,700 city plows manned by a reduced Department of Sanitation workforce were all at work Tuesday night, supplemented by other City departments. Young saw a privately contracted plow with a Parks Department worker riding shotgun.


1010 WINS’ Stan Brooks reports



WCBS 880′s Ginny Kosola on unplowed Queens streets

PHOTO GALLERIES: Blizzard Slams East Coast | User-Submitted Storm Photos


 1010 WINS’ Juliet Papa reports

SOUND OFF: Is Your Road Plowed?

The City said it needs more private plows, front loaders and tow trucks. Ambulances have been getting stuck trying to do their work.

“Too many ambulances went down blocked streets, for example,” Bloomberg said. “What they should’ve done was stay at the corner of the main street and then walked down or struggled through the snow to get down, because once the ambulance got in it couldn’t get out.”

Young witnessed one ambulance doing precisely what the mayor wanted. It stopped on a main street so that EMTs could walk down snow-covered side street to assist someone. But in the process their ambulance blocked traffic, including a snow plow.

Outerborough Outrage

The stuck plow driver was clearly frustrated.

“It’s hard. We’re stuck in traffic because people don’t stay home,” he said. “People driving around, getting stuck in the middle of the street. We can’t get down the streets. It’s impossible.”

If you’re not buying this, neither are the folks at the NYC Council or in the borough presidents’ offices. Marty Markowitz was nearly apoplectic over the condition of his Brooklyn borough’s streets.

“We’ve had previous bad snowstorms and the Sanitation Department did an excellent job. Something didn’t happen this time,” Markowitz said.

Residents React to City’s Storm Response

The City Office of Emergency Management, which is normally empty, was activated around 4 p.m. on Sunday when the storm started to settle in. There’s even a stuck ambulance task force that’s been at it since Monday trying to make sense of the mess.

But angry NYC Council members said they think there’s more that needs to be looked into than stuck ambulances. Hearings have been scheduled for Jan. 10.

“I believe we can do better. We expect better. I know we can do better. We did better in February when we had a storm and that was much worse. And so I know this was a bad storm, but the reality is we’ve done it in the past and we should have done it in the last 48 hours but we failed,” said Councilwoman Leticia James, D-Queens.

City Councilman Daniel Dromm shook his head and came short of stamping his feet on two feet of unplowed snow on 75th Street in Jackson Heights, Queens.

“The fact that there has been no plow in this neighborhood at all is a disaster,” Dromm said. “It’s hard to understand why the city was so unprepared for this storm because we knew for a long time that it was coming.”

“This is going on day three and usually what we see is a plow coming down the street on the day when the storm starts, then you see something coming the day after and basically the third day you expect it to be clear but that’s not what happened here,” he added.



WCBS 880′s Ginny Kosola on outrage over NYC’s response to the blizzard

Some are putting the blame on Bloomberg. “He is not doing what he is supposed to do,” one woman said. ”He’s not running the city, we’re wondering what is happening.”

“I think the Mayor must be living in another world if he thinks that the response to this has been satisfactory,” Dromm said.

However, Bloomberg said he understands the hardships the public has faced in the last few days.

“I’m angry too, if your street was plowed the response was adequate, if your street was not plowed the response was inadequate,” Bloomberg said. ”We can not do everything all the time and we are doing the best we can.”

CBS 2’s Dave Carlin rode along with plow operators and sanitation supervisors on Tuesday night during their 12-hour shifts.

Residents on unplowed side streets seemed openly hostile.

Carlin asked the operator if he understands the criticism.

“I understand it. I heard it. Unfortunately, it was one of those storms that are one in a million. The sheer volume and the speed it came down and the winds did not help at all,” the operator said.

(TM and Copyright 2010 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2010 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

View Comments
  • M. Taeler

    E 38 Street between Quintine Rd & Ave P Brooklyn has not been plowed.There is a stuck plow one block away on E 38 Street between Ave P and Flatlands Ave.It’s been there all afternoon. A plow coming down E37th Street got stuck and the crew along with neighbors dug it out.

  • michele new englander

    What no Sno Emergency? Who cares where people are going to park their cars. Make them pay to park in a commercial garage. There are plenty of them around. Start towing them to tow pounds. The city could use the money and people need to be taught a lesson. The city is a mess and it is disgraceful. Innocent lives are at risk.

  • Buster Roydz

    Whine, whine, whine, and whine from all the losers who allowed, and still allow things to be as they are.

    • Anon

      shut up

  • Frustrated

    Still no plows on 32nd St. Between
    Snyder & Tilden in Brooklyn or any
    Of the surrounding areas. I can’t
    Get my car out so a co-worker thought they
    Were being nice and coming to get
    Me, know we are both stuck. It seems
    Like no streets in Brooklyn have
    Been plowed. I feel like we have been
    Abandoned. Thanks Mr Mayor.

  • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PSnGqGlDFyE&feature=youtube_gdata_player D. Menendez

    This is a video of what was my street for both Monday and today. They have yet come to clean the street and no one can drive and can barely walk. This is Ridgewood and the city has done nothing to clean the street. The only areas that don’t have the snow in he way is the area that the people, as a group were able to clean themselves.

  • EMC

    Bayside, Queens — not one plow has come by, unlike during past storms, when they’d come through the night. Good thing the kids are on vacation, otherwise Dictator Bloomy would look out his Manhattan window, see the clear street below and keep the schools open. Can’t even get through on 311 to log a complaint…. Great job, Mike!

  • Angry

    I don’t think he will resign. He just spends $100 millions to buy his last election. We will not be so lucky to see his resignation. He will continue destroying city.

  • SOCORRO

    WHAT ARE THEY WATTING FOR SOME. I BET KNOW THEY WOULD LIKE FOR A MEXICAN TO DO IT END NOBODY WOULD EVEN CARE IF HE IS AN ILEGAL OR NOT

    • UyeahU2

      Word of the day: Grammar.

  • bob c

    Mayor Arrogant should do everybody a favor and resign.

    • Frances

      he’s a joke except to himself—-whitestone and flushing is a fiasco still—ny is costing its people too too much—because the emergency system is a disaster also just from snow,let’s pray nothing more devastating happens—

  • Angry

    When Rudy was a mayor he handled 1996 snow storm perfect. In less then 24 hours streets were perfectly clean.

    • John

      I remember that storm. It was amazing. It was so bad the above ground trains were stopped cold, and the city had nowhere to pile up all of that snow so they plowed it into piles, put it on dump trucks, and dropped it into the East River. In other words, I agree with you. Even with that much snow Rudy got the job done!!!

  • Greg

    Mayor Mike is a total clown. He is out of toucjh with everyone in New York and basically bought this last election. Anyone could have handled this situtation better. God for bid something mayor happened here. This would not have happened under Rudy’s watch!!!!!!!!

  • Angry

    Bloomberg is a power hungry clown. He doesn’t care about people. He has no idea how to manage big city.

  • Stevart

    This is noting kids, wait until there’s a terrorist attack and Michael, the imperious creep, REALLY proves his worth as the bodies pile up.

  • David Flores

    looks like bloomies katrina hahahahahahahaha

  • LifeLongNYer

    This was a result of underestimating the strength of the storm, as well as trying to save a few bucks in the clean up. Previously, city agencies (Sanitation, NYPD, FDNY, etc) seemingly had carte blanche to devote manpower without regard to overtime expenditures. This time out (in Bloomberg’s words), the city managed to save a few bucks by utilizing DEP’s plows to supplement the sanitation’s equipment. He further went on about sanitation’s shift changes…12 hour shifts and then relief from the next shift as opposed to the majority of the workforce working collectively. Get used to the reduced services people…This will be the norm going forward as the city is crying broke.

    • Anon

      Rumor has it that the Sanitation Dept is staging a slow down because of Mayor Arrogant’s cuts.

  • WOLVERINE

    I WANT TO KNOW WHY SECONDARY STREETS WERE NOT PLOWED EVEN ONCE DURING STORM SO NOW THE SNOW IS TO HIGH TO PLOW WITH OUT A FRONT END LOADER WHICH CITY DOES NOT OWN TOO MANY OF? A REGULAR PLOW CAN’T HANDLE IT. DON’T FEEL BAD HUSBAND WORKS FOR DSNY AND OUR NEIGHBORHOOD IS NOT DONE YET EITHER, MIDDLE VLG QUEENS.

  • The Good Samaritan

    his son i think is

    The Good Samaritan has spoken.

  • Jeanniegirl

    58th Place- two blocks from Sanitation in Woodside not plowed and there is a state run home for disabled adults in middle of block that Access a ride cant get to

  • Andrew

    Can we fire a NYC Mayor? This THIEF already STOLE an extra term. His condescending attitude in this time of need is the last straw. This guy thinks he can do as he danged well pleases. Seriously?! It is time for the people to show government who is boss!

    • Diane D

      Andrew, to answer your question: “Yes, it’s called impeachment!”

    • Gunny G

      IMPEACH THE RINO!

      RECALL RUDY!

  • Mz. Fighter

    Brownsville, Brooklyn streets have not been plowed as of 1:00 p.m. It seems city officials are balancing the budget on the backs of New Yorkers and at the expense of our lives and property. They knew a storm was coming. 311 phones are clogged, the online system doesn’t allow a complaint to be submitted. An error is generated. THEY KNEW A STORM WAS COMING! This is one of the worst responses I have seen in my life. Despite that residents of blocks that have not been plowed should band together and dig out their own streets. When you can’t count on the city take matters into your own hands. You’ll be proud of yourselves if you do… then bill the city for the labor, $20 per hour for everyone over 18, with a SS#.

    P.S. wi

    • Mz. Fighter

      P.S. If private home owners and businesses have 4 hrs after the snow stops falling to clear their property of snow or else face fines, who will be penalized when city housing projects are not cleared? Great system…good job Mr. Mayor.

  • EK

    Time for the outer boroughs to secede. Mayor Bloomberg and Co. simply don’t care about us.

    • Anon

      Good idea. I doubt he would even notice.

  • life is good

    Bloomberg just said in his news conference that he is going to have the E.M.S. people trained to not get stuck in the snow. This arrogant little rich boy who calls himself ‘Mayor’ actually said that ambulance crews should have parked in ‘cleared areas’ and walked to where the patient was located. The problem is: the only cleared areas are Times Square and the Upper East Side. That doesn’t help emergency responders in the other four Boro’s … oops! Bloomy forgot about those. So typical of Bloomberg to never accept blame for his failures and to always point the finger at someone else. Let’s NEVER FORGET the $800 Million in city funds that Bloomberg is responsible for blowing on the scandalous “City Time” fiasco…

    • Sam

      Upper Eastside?? 81st Street was not plowed until TODAY!

    • John

      So true!

  • Angie

    Wouldn’t it be great if locals would boycott the Times Square celebration for New Years, just to spite the government for what they’re NOT doing!? Yes Mayor, I know Times Square and Manhattan in general is a big ol’ tourist trap. But you forgot one thing, you’re OUR mayor. How about taking care of us first and worry about the visitors later?

    • JK

      The Time Square celebrants are mostly tourists. He has probably been getting Times Square plowed the last 2 days instead of the outer boros.

  • Vin

    I thikn Mr. Liberal should come shovel all our cars out.

  • George C.

    This is the absoulte worst response the city has ever had in responding to a snow storm. The Mayor is giving bogus answers and reasons why the clean up is taking so long. The Mayor has failed in this clean up and should admit so. Cambria Heights has not seen a plow as of yet.

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