Michael Bloomberg says he’s got this snowstorm covered.
The mayor insisted Thursday that Friday’s imminent snowfall won’t be a repeat of the city’s botched blizzard response. “We want to assure all New Yorkers that we’re doing everything in our power,” he said at City Hall.
The city could get as much as 5 inches. A winter storm watch was issued Thursday by the National Weather Service.
City agencies are using this storm to try new ideas, like live snow shots and a Brooklyn bus command center. Bloomberg said borough workers will transmit video feeds of snowy streets.
“Whether those will be useful or not, I don’t know,” Bloomberg said. “But we are going to try it.”
In addition, 50 sanitation trucks will be tracked by GPS in Brooklyn, he said.
The Sanitation Department was eager to mend its tarnished reputation, with Director John Doherty promising to plow even 2 inches of snow.
MTA president Thomas Prendergast announced two command centers in Brooklyn and Manhattan. After the blizzard’s “spotty performances,” he said, “We want to make sure we do this right.”
Bloomberg also canned two Brooklyn sanitation bosses this week and demoted the city’s head of emergency management service.
Not everyone was impressed. “Let’s hope we’re only looking at a dusting [Friday],” Public Advocate Bill de Blasio said. “The administration still hasn’t come forward with a plan for how they’ll handle the next big snowstorm.”
Weekend weather
New York has an 80 percent chance of 1 to 2 inches before midnight tonight and could get 5 inches total, National Weather Service spokeswoman Marcie Katcher told Metro.
“We’re not expecting as significant snowfall as we had in the blizzard,” she said.
Still, the afternoon commute could be slick, she warned.
