Winter Storm Jonas took the Big Apple by surprise exactly a decade ago in the same manner that the recent snowstorm hit our city this month. That last major snow terror produced a reported 3 feet of snow – and just a few weeks ago, the streets were again blanketed in 8 to 15 inches of snow.
According to Mayor Mamdani, more than 2,000 sanitation workers started 12-hour shifts when the snow began to fall on January 25 , 700 salt spreaders were deployed, and 700 million pounds of salt were prepared (CBS News). In addition, New York students were given a snow day on Monday. ”Our goal is for all services to be fully restored…with all streets cleared, students back at school in person, and our city back to normal—albeit with a lot of snow piled up.” (Spectrum News)
Two weeks later and New York is still covered in ice and muddy snow as temperatures continue to plummet and trash accumulates on the streets. “The sidewalks in my neighborhood are really narrow because they’re surrounded by chunks of ice…only one person can walk on the sidewalk at a time,” began Ms. Cockrell, a social studies teacher at HPHS. She ends on a happier note, however, sharing that despite the inconvenience, she has “become more friendly with strangers because we have to share the sidewalk.”
Students complain of delayed public transportation and stinginess with snow days. “We had a day off but that wasn’t much. … I feel like we should’ve gotten one more day. There was a lot of ice,” says HPHS senior Faizan Afridi. He also brings up the difficulties that CollegeNow students face due to train delays and the cold. “In front of HPHS… there was a big ice mound, and it’s the same in the trains as well. I almost fell,” continued Faizan. “It’s really hard on the road, so what happens if you fall? God forbid. You might get hurt.”
Selene Chen and Abbie Ma, both juniors at HPHS, share similar sentiments on road and transport conditions. “I already see trucks salting more of the roads. I think they should do the sidewalks too,” Abbie mentions. Selene adds that her train “got delayed by 40 minutes”, verbalizing the shared difficulties that Faizan and other CollegeNow students are going through due to the blizzard. “I feel like we should have gotten another [snow] day because the roads did not clear yet.”
Mamdani justifies the snow day situation, saying that the local government is “bound by state law that requires 180 days of instruction.” He explains that, due to the addition of more holidays into the school calendars, our school calendar is “[left] without any flexibility for the potential of a lack of an educational day.” (CBS News).
“New York was prepared, and New York weathered the storm. While the worst is behind us, there is still more to be done as we clear the snow and restore our city,” Mamdani says (Spectrum News). New Yorkers continue to look forward to better weather and street conditions.
