New York | Major storm hits northeastern United States

(New York) From Brooklyn to Manhattan, the sidewalks and streets of New York, usually crowded, were almost deserted on this snowstorm Monday. An inconvenience for some, but a joy for others who took advantage of the approximately 50 cm that fell in places.

In the Upper East side district of Manhattan, a few buses and ambulances equipped with chains were idling on the avenues, still difficult to pass despite the lifting of the traffic ban on non-essential vehicles since noon.

Many building guards and store employees were busy clearing snow from the slippery sidewalks, braving strong gusts, and a few dog owners left clearly visible marks on the immaculate white.

“According to current forecasts, the worst is over,” announced New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani during a press conference early in the afternoon. Between 40 and 50 cm of powder snow had then fallen over most of the city – an additional 4 to 7 cm was expected in the evening, according to him.

But well beyond the Big Apple, a large part of the northeastern United States found itself covered in a whitish coat, disrupting the daily lives of more than 40 million people.

The airport in Providence, Rhode Island, had a total of 83 cm of powder and it was not excluded that the accumulations could reach 90 cm. A large part of this state is expected to remain paralyzed this Tuesday, with many schools closed, according to local media.

The National Weather Service also warned of a risk of flooding in parts of New York, New Jersey and Massachusetts.

A state of emergency was declared in eight states. Among the consequences of this storm: hundreds of thousands of homes were without electricity at one time or another, including more than 285,000 in Massachusetts. In the same state, hundreds of vehicles were stuck on icy roads, according to the New York Times.

Fed up… and crazy fun!

Throughout the region, schools, municipal services, businesses, even the United Nations headquarters in Manhattan, remained closed for the day. Enough to please the many students seen sliding down the hills of Central Park.

Deep in the powder, Gabrielle, 6 years old, her face completely hidden under a ski mask and the hood of her anorak, is “very, very happy” about this morning with her brother and her father.

It’s pretty awesome. We started by shoveling in front of the house and now it seems like they get stuck every time they walk in the snow.

Ben, father of two children

Others are less happy with this new snowstorm. “It’s not bad for now, but later, when the temperature drops, it will be more difficult because there is ice underneath,” worries Joe Schultz, interviewed with a shovel in hand, in Brooklyn.

In Wildwood, in neighboring New Jersey, Vincent Greer is downright “fed up”. “I don’t want to see any more snow,” he exclaimed as he cleared a path in front of his building. “I can’t see anything in front of me and I’m freezing!” »

Transportation disrupted

In places, public transportation, including rail traffic, was disrupted on Monday, or even completely cut off in New Jersey. In the evening, it remained unclear whether a certain number of bus and train lines would be in operation this Tuesday, according to what the New York Times.

More than 6,000 flights had also been canceled by mid-afternoon, according to the specialist site FlightAware, with New York, Boston and Philadelphia airports being the most affected. And the disruptions will continue this Tuesday with already nearly 2,000 cancellations.

At the end of January, a previous storm followed by a long cold snap left around a hundred dead in the country, including at least 18 in New York alone, most of them from hypothermia.

“We are not aware of any deaths linked to this snowstorm on the streets of our city or in public places,” Mayor Zohran Mamdani assured Monday.

Like Philadelphia and Boston, the megacity strengthened its emergency reception system for vulnerable people on Sunday, including buses and schools accessible to those needing to warm up.

The City also continues to recruit volunteers to clear pedestrian crossings in particular – for a salary increased to $30 per hour – but the rest of the residents, Mr. Mamdani, asked the rest of the residents to do what they “don’t like”: “sit still and do nothing”.

“Turn on that YouTube video of a crackling fireplace, call that loved one whose WhatsApp messages you haven’t responded to, make a big bowl of soup and bring some to your upstairs neighbors… And most importantly, stay warm, prepared and safe,” he said.

With information from New York Times