Code Blue in effect as temperatures plummet ahead of snowstorm
Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced in a press conference on Saturday, "an intense prolonged period of frigid temperatures" will continue through next week.
As New Yorkers anticipate a massive snowstorm, they are already braving the brutally cold conditions.
In a press conference on the city's winter weather preparations on Saturday, Mayor Zohran Mamdani confirmed the Code Blue alert for freezing temperatures that will continue beyond the snowstorm.
"It will also bring with it an intense cold prolonged period of frigid temperatures that will last through the next week frankly, it will be colder than any sustained period that New York has experienced in about eight years," he said.
The city's Department of Homeless Services lists several 24-hours drop-in centers online that will act as warming centers while the Code Blue alert remains. The alert is posted by the New York City Emergency Department, when temperatures reach 32 degrees or lower, including wind chill values. The mayor said wind gusts could reach up to 35 mph during the snowstorm.
Among the warming centers listed online is The Gathering Place in Crown Heights. News 12 was not allowed to film inside, but a representative said the services for homeless people will remain active and available.
The mayor also assured vulnerable New Yorkers that city workers will continue to find them and provide the help they need during these bone-chilling conditions.
"With homeless services outreach workers canvassing the five boroughs and connecting homeless New Yorkers with shelter, no one will be denied. All hospitals, all department of homeless services dropping in centers and all DHS shelters have a fully open-door policy," he said.
During a Code Blue alert, if someone is unable to reach a warming center, they can call 311. Those calls are redirected to 911, where officers can provide further assistance.
