Mamdani refuses to say if he’ll force homeless to shelter in historic blizzard weeks after 19 died

 Mayor Mamdani still won’t force vulnerable New Yorkers inside — even with the Big Apple set to face nearly two feet of snow in a massive blizzard which was predicted to slam the northeast this weekend with 60 mph winds and heavy precipitation.

Fast-changing forecasts called for ever-increasing snowfall in NYC, which could see 18 to 24 inches, meteorologists said.

Even though 19 people were found dead outside following the season’s last major snowfall, a heavy Jan. 26 storm which also ushered in Arctic temperatures, Mamdani won’t budge.

We are now expecting between 13 to 17 inches of snow, but there is a slight chance we may see up to 20 inches, if not more,” Mayor Zohran Mamdani said.AP

“We are now expecting between 13 to 17 inches of snow, but there is a slight chance we may see up to 20 inches, if not more,” Hizzoner said at a Saturday news conference in Lower Manhattan earlier in the day, before forecasts got worse.

At least 15 of the people found dead after last month’s storm had died due to hypothermia, according to the city medical examiner.

Mamdani said efforts to get the homeless indoors this time around would begin 4 p.m. Saturday, but he didn’t pledge to force people inside.

And days after bringing back homeless encampment sweeps – a decision that followed backlash for not getting people off the street during the cold snap – the mayor is briefly pausing them again.

“Our focus over the course of the storm is not going to be on physical infrastructure, it’s going to be on people getting homeless New Yorkers inside,” he said.

“There will be no cleanups over the course of this storm. Our focus is going to be utilizing every tool that we have to connecting homeless New Yorkers with a safe haven, with a shelter, with a warming bus, and we will be sure to be able to provide those homeless New Yorkers with a wide variety of options.”

Freezing temperatures could make for an extremely hazardous Monday morning commute, and the city could see some coastal flooding along Jamaica Bay, the Battery in Lower Manhattan and parts of Staten Island, city officials warned.

The storm, the city’s first blizzard since 2016, will stretch into Monday and has 30 million people along the East Coast in its path.

The mayor – who was slammed during last month’s snow for making schoolkids do remote learning instead of giving them a snow day – said he would wait until noon Sunday to decide whether to close city schools this time.

Alternate side parking has already been cancelled for Monday and delays of at least an additional day are expected for trash and recycling pickups. 

https://nypost.com/2026/02/21/us-news/massive-noreaster-could-bring-20-inches-of-snow-to-nyc-zohran-mamdani-predicts/