How Mayor Mamdani fared in his first big test with Mother Nature
The storm dumped nearly a foot of snow over the Big Apple - and it was Mayor Mamdani's first big test with Mother Nature.
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As thousands of people dig out across the five boroughs and the Sanitation Department continues its cleanup efforts, Mayor Zohran Mamdani says the worst of the storm is now behind us.
The storm dumped nearly a foot of snow over the Big Apple - and it was Mayor Mamdani's first big test with Mother Nature.
"I will leave it to New Yorkers to give me a grade," the mayor said, "For so many New Yorkers, for all the conversation about politics, what they want to know is if you can meet their basic needs, and I think what city worker showed yesterday is that we can," the mayor said.
Plows were out in Staten Island within 10 minutes of the first flakes falling just after 5 a.m. on Sunday, the mayor said. Roughly 5,000 sanitation workers shifted to 12-hour shifts over the weekend to operate more than 2,000 plows and salt trucks. The mayor says every road was plowed at least once.
"The streets are very clean, the sidewalks are clean, and he did a great job," said Marietta, from Brooklyn.
We asked New Yorkers who were digging out their cars and running errands on Monday what grade they would give the mayor.
"I give him an 'A' right now, the main roads are clean, so I'll give him an 'A'," said Carlito in Brooklyn, who was using a cardboard box to clear snow off his windshield.
While others like Margaret Anthony say they found it difficult to trek through piles high of snow at the intersections.
"Transportation, you had to wait a little longer, but I got through," said Margaret Anthony.
In between emergency updates, the mayor grabbed a shovel and helped shovel cars that were stuck on the side of the road and the highway.
"He kept us informed, he updated us, he even came out and assisted the community, that was good," said Anthony.
There was one subject the mayor did not ace.
"People care a lot if I don't wear a hat, and I will tell you I was brushing it off, towards the end of the day my hair did start to freeze," the mayor joked.
The mayor says his goal is for all city services to be fully restored by Tuesday.
