NYC Plowing (or lack of) Discussion

[Jefflaw77]

Yesterday. But NOTHING has changed. Nothing. Streets are all still like that. Not 1 plow.

It only took 41 years for the next Lindsay Storm... aka Bloomberg storm of 2010... Seriously, didn't Lindsay loose the election the following year b/c of that storm?? Anyway- Bloomberg probably doesn't really care..

How could no plow have come through yet?? Isn't this suppose one of the greatest city's on earth?? wtf?

[ag3]

It only took 41 years for the next Lindsay Storm... aka Bloomberg storm of 2010... Seriously, didn't Lindsay loose the election the following year b/c of that storm?? Anyway- Bloomberg probably doesn't really care..

How could no plow have come through yet?? Isn't this suppose one of the greatest city's on earth?? wtf?

Again. Not even 1 side street has been plowed. Im not even overdoing it either. Not even 1. Pathetic.

[NorEaster27]

no express bus service again this morning, despite what the MTA claims.

[Sock Puppet]

Same here. Cars are still abandoned in many spots

Again. Not even 1 side street has been plowed. Im not even overdoing it either. Not even 1. Pathetic.

[SP]

I guess some of you never endured a blizzard before?

It normally takes a few days to begin to dig out. Let's start with workforce.....be it in NYC or Wall/Farmingdale NJ where I have several offices.....assembling a workforce is tough because they get stuck at home like everyone else. When travel it limited or non existent...be it by car, bus, train, subway......getting road crews let alone hospital workers to the workplace is difficult post blizzard and often impossible during. For years I have volunteered to ferry essential staff to hospitals and municipal facilities typically using H2 or Expeditions with chains.

Now....once you get the staff to run equipment you quickly realize that 50%+ of your equipment is not useful for a variety of reasons. This immediately doubles or triples your clean up time required.

So.....outside assistance is called upon and during the first 12-24 hours hvy equipment is brought in from areas not severely impacted.

Now I know it sucks to see your street not cleared...but in many cases the problem often is cars on the street limiting the ability to maneuver hvy equipment. So what the crews normally do is plow straight down the center....leaving people to dig out vehicles and relo them....finally later coming in to further remove snow.

I am frustrated knowing our office building is still being dug out and I had staff standing around in a partially cleared parking lot.....but I also know Route 34 was closed south bound heading into 195 and the GSP.....Route 18 in totaled......most workers are still stuck in their driveways or uncleared streets. Such is life. Nothing can be done about it.

Not sure of Bloomberg screwed up...this is a top 10 storm....budgets are crushed. This storm was different.....for the NJ shore it appears to rank 2nd to 96....but not far from 96. Things should begin to return to normal tomorrow. GSP is only one lane in many areas....same for most of the local highways etc.

Crews need time.....and now with the wind letting up can gain ground.

[Sock Puppet]

Problem is that they plowed the beginning of the storm but haven't done so since plus they've plowed the same few streets all day yesterday without touching others. In fact while all streets were snow covered there were two tractors clearing snow from a dead end block

Here's the pic of that

You may be correct about workers being stuck but 1) They should have come in before the storm and 2) the should have been plowing other streets rather than the same few 20 times

I guess some of you never endured a blizzard before?

It normally takes a few days to begin to dig out. Let's start with workforce.....be it in NYC or Wall/Farmingdale NJ where I have several offices.....assembling a workforce is tough because they get stuck at home like everyone else. When travel it limited or non existent...be it by car, bus, train, subway......getting road crews let alone hospital workers to the workplace is difficult post blizzard and often impossible during. For years I have volunteered to ferry essential staff to hospitals and municipal facilities typically using H2 or Expeditions with chains.

Now....once you get the staff to run equipment you quickly realize that 50%+ of your equipment is not useful for a variety of reasons. This immediately doubles or triples your clean up time required.

So.....outside assistance is called upon and during the first 12-24 hours hvy equipment is brought in from areas not severely impacted.

Now I know it sucks to see your street not cleared...but in many cases the problem often is cars on the street limiting the ability to maneuver hvy equipment. So what the crews normally do is plow straight down the center....leaving people to dig out vehicles and relo them....finally later coming in to further remove snow.

I am frustrated knowing our office building is still being dug out and I had staff standing around in a partially cleared parking lot.....but I also know Route 34 was closed south bound heading into 195 and the GSP.....Route 18 in totaled......most workers are still stuck in their driveways or uncleared streets. Such is life. Nothing can be done about it.

Not sure of Bloomberg screwed up...this is a top 10 storm....budgets are crushed. This storm was different.....for the NJ shore it appears to rank 2nd to 96....but not far from 96. Things should begin to return to normal tomorrow. GSP is only one lane in many areas....same for most of the local highways etc.

Crews need time.....and now with the wind letting up can gain ground.

[earthlight]

I've read some of these posts about the city--and I can confirm that it is absolutely terrible. My mom works in Brooklyn and said she got there and turned around and came home. No streets were plowed, there were 4-5 foot drifts up the street and over cars. It's absolutely pathetic.

[real]

I can't believe so many people are complaining about their streets not being plowed yet. It only stopped snowing yesterday morning. I agree with whoever said you need to remember what a blizzard is. There is a reason the Red Cross and Dept. of Homeland Security urge everyone to have a supply of food and water for up to 5 days incase of winter or other emergency. Last year, in Washington, some streets went unplowed for a week.

You all further north may have a bit more equipment or organization to handle it then we do, but it's still unrealistic to be complaining about not seeing a snow plow yet. In fact, I lived in some areas that got mulitple feet of lake-effect snow ever year. And even there, the streets would usually be a mess after a 20-inch snowstorm. First of all, there is simply no where to put the snow in a city. Once you hit about 16 to 18 inches, it becomes very hard to move it all around and the plows just basically shift it back and forth so it really needs to be scooped up and hauled away.

However, from afar, it does seem that New York and Bloomberg were a bit unprepared for this. I see no reason for all those buses and taxi's getting stuck, and the above ground trains get stranded. When a blizzard is in the forecast, it seems most prudent to do what D.C. does - shut down bus service, tell the cabbies to stay home, and close above ground subway service before they get stranded. Because, once the buses get stuck, how do you expect the plows to get through?

[BL03]

IMO the city should of declared a state of emergency forcing people to say home or else. Shut down all transit buses for at least 12-18 hrs, etc. This would of helped a lot in clearing the streets and making them at least passable. All the abandoned cars and buses are making it impossible to get a quick clean up done, and also leading to sanitation trucks/ plows/ tractors also getting stuck. City did a terrible job,,,can't blame the plow drivers.

[sauss06]

The mayor should have opened his OEM and allowed his emergency mang. directors to handle the situation. If he did, those directors need canned. Some of the points in defense of the mishandling of this, may have been valid in 1980, but this is 2010 for gods sake.

[Sock Puppet]

Definitely should have banned cars from the roads

IMO the city should of declared a state of emergency forcing people to say home or else. Shut down all transit buses for at least 12-18 hrs, etc. This would of helped a lot in clearing the streets and making them at least passable. All the abandoned cars and buses are making it impossible to get a quick clean up done, and also leading to sanitation trucks/ plows/ tractors also getting stuck. City did a terrible job,,,can't blame the plow drivers.

[Sundog]

I can't believe so many people are complaining about their streets not being plowed yet. It only stopped snowing yesterday morning. I agree with whoever said you need to remember what a blizzard is. There is a reason the Red Cross and Dept. of Homeland Security urge everyone to have a supply of food and water for up to 5 days incase of winter or other emergency. Last year, in Washington, some streets went unplowed for a week.

You all further north may have a bit more equipment or organization to handle it then we do, but it's still unrealistic to be complaining about not seeing a snow plow yet. In fact, I lived in some areas that got mulitple feet of lake-effect snow ever year. And even there, the streets would usually be a mess after a 20-inch snowstorm. First of all, there is simply no where to put the snow in a city. Once you hit about 16 to 18 inches, it becomes very hard to move it all around and the plows just basically shift it back and forth so it really needs to be scooped up and hauled away.

However, from afar, it does seem that New York and Bloomberg were a bit unprepared for this. I see no reason for all those buses and taxi's getting stuck, and the above ground trains get stranded. When a blizzard is in the forecast, it seems most prudent to do what D.C. does - shut down bus service, tell the cabbies to stay home, and close above ground subway service before they get stranded. Because, once the buses get stuck, how do you expect the plows to get through?

When it snows, the plows are out before, during and after the storm. That's the way it's done up here in New York. It's very realistic actually and it's the norm. We don't wait a week to see a plow. I should have seen or heard about 10 plows already between yesterday morning and now.

[nzucker]

When it snows, the plows are out before, during and after the storm. That's the way it's done up here in New York. It's very realistic actually and it's the norm. We don't wait a week to see a plow. I should have seen or heard about 10 plows already between yesterday morning and now.

Times are different now, man. Budgets are tighter, road crews are smaller. Emergency services/sanitation services have been cut. That's the reality of living in an economic recession. We no longer can spend millions of dollars cleaning up every time it snows a few inches so you can drive around.

I actually think one of the enjoyable aspects of a blizzard is to sit at home and be trapped by the snow. We all live such crazy lives 300+ days of the year, not a big deal to have a couple days to reflect on the power of nature and the way we live in modern society. We're also incredibly spoiled by the amazing clean-ups we've seen in past storms like February 2006...those aren't always going to be the norm, and this was a difficult storm to clean since it was poorly forecasted, occurred the day after Christmas, and involved blowing/drifting snow with high winds.

[Sock Puppet]

Yeah but to clear the snow off of transit routes is essential and should have been done. I wonder how many people died due to slow EMS response time do to impassable roads

Times are different now, man. Budgets are tighter, road crews are smaller. Emergency services/sanitation services have been cut. That's the reality of living in an economic recession. We no longer can spend millions of dollars cleaning up every time it snows a few inches so you can drive around.

I actually think one of the enjoyable aspects of a blizzard is to sit at home and be trapped by the snow. We all live such crazy lives 300+ days of the year, not a big deal to have a couple days to reflect on the power of nature and the way we live in modern society. We're also incredibly spoiled by the amazing clean-ups we've seen in past storms like February 2006...those aren't always going to be the norm, and this was a difficult storm to clean since it was poorly forecasted, occurred the day after Christmas, and involved blowing/drifting snow with high winds.

[SP]

Let's see.....96 shut down most everything for 3 days in SoMoCounty.

78 shut down school and Mercer county for 3-4 days

The big big difference is WIND and snow type.....no mixing etc. The drifting was terrible.

I am sure Bloomberg could have done a few things different but when you receive this kind of wallop life comes to a stop. You can not plow every street fast enough in a "keep up with the storm" strategy....it does not work.

RT18 is notorious for drifting and has been shut down in past storms. When a few of my staff left the office today RT 34 was still not fully cleared and the GSP was still being worked on....many of the on/off ramps are a disaster. Front loaders are needed everywhere and there is simply not enough.

Down in Leisure village, a retirement community near Brick/Lakewood the old folks living there are stranded....the crew can not clear the roads and a call out for hvy equipment has been made....plows....anything.

Immediate gratification is not possible in these circumstances. Play a video game or grab a shovel if you need stimulation....or go make babies....because you will hear about the SPIKE in births later this year.

Oh...the crews all work shifts....there is a limit to their drive time per regs and Osha.....in the past some lawmakers wave the rules.

I just looked at a picture from a friends house who's backyard drift extends beyond 15ft covering the great room massive windows all the way to the second floor. amazing!

[Allsnow]

When it snows, the plows are out before, during and after the storm. That's the way it's done up here in New York. It's very realistic actually and it's the norm. We don't wait a week to see a plow. I should have seen or heard about 10 plows already between yesterday morning and now.

Not in the coditions we had....this was not a normal storm....i plowed in one lot the whole night and could not see a darn thing...driving of small distances was horrible.....in the city side streets you have cars on both sides and a little lane to drive down......with 4 foot drifts down the midde, you need a loader for each street and thats not somthing the city has for every street.If you really thought you where going to be plowed out the same day of that storm you where fooling urself.......not one person could keep up with that snowfall....unless you want to try and plow under those condition, i suggest you think twice before you touch on a topic you know nothing about

[Sundog]

Not in the coditions we had....this was not a normal storm....i plowed in one lot the whole night and could not see a darn thing...driving of small distances was horrible.....in the city side streets you have cars on both sides and a little lane to drive down......with 4 foot drifts down the midde, you need a loader for each street and thats not somthing the city has for every street.If you really thought you where going to be plowed out the same day of that storm you where fooling urself.......not one person could keep up with that snowfall....unless you want to try and plow under those condition, i suggest you think twice before you touch on a topic you know nothing about

They weren't using loaders in 96; at least not around here yet they were still plowing. They could keep up with it; they didn't even bother starting, that was their problem. Of course you're going to have a tough time plowing if you don't touch the street from beginning to end. You've been a dick to me for months now so I could care less what you have to say.

[Isotherm]

Not in the coditions we had....this was not a normal storm....i plowed in one lot the whole night and could not see a darn thing...driving of small distances was horrible.....in the city side streets you have cars on both sides and a little lane to drive down......with 4 foot drifts down the midde, you need a loader for each street and thats not somthing the city has for every street.If you really thought you where going to be plowed out the same day of that storm you where fooling urself.......not one person could keep up with that snowfall....unless you want to try and plow under those condition, i suggest you think twice before you touch on a topic you know nothing about

Tim, yeah as I said in the other thread, this storm was akin to 1996 in the fact that it was just impossible to keep up with. 95% of storms we're usually good to drive about 2-3 hours after the snow ends, even with some 18"+ events. But the combination of hvy snowfall rates for over 6 hours and strong winds rendered plowing essentially useless, hence the stranded cars and impassable roadways.

[Jebman]

Times are different now, man. Budgets are tighter, road crews are smaller. Emergency services/sanitation services have been cut. That's the reality of living in an economic recession. We no longer can spend millions of dollars cleaning up every time it snows a few inches so you can drive around.

I actually think one of the enjoyable aspects of a blizzard is to sit at home and be trapped by the snow. We all live such crazy lives 300+ days of the year, not a big deal to have a couple days to reflect on the power of nature and the way we live in modern society. We're also incredibly spoiled by the amazing clean-ups we've seen in past storms like February 2006...those aren't always going to be the norm, and this was a difficult storm to clean since it was poorly forecasted, occurred the day after Christmas, and involved blowing/drifting snow with high winds.

I got this all figured out. We don't have to spend the next fifty years trying to grok out how we are going to get these megalopolises straightened out after a blizzard.

I'll volunteer to dig NYC out of that snow. WE are in a devastating recession. I'll shovel for FREE. At night I'll dig a snowcave in a 15 foot drift and sleep in my trusty sleeping bag; by day I'll be clearing streets and sidewalks with my fiberglass handled construction shovel.

Problem Solved, Mayor Bloomberg. No city funds needed. I'll pay for my own food. I'm in damned good shape - I'm not some fat slob that drinks all the time.

I have spent my entire life - all 46 years of it - fantasizing about shoveling snow and taking dangerous jebwalks on ice covered streets from busted water mains while enjoying the modern version of the Maunder Minimum.

Here's my chance!

[mempho]

I can't believe so many people are complaining about their streets not being plowed yet. It only stopped snowing yesterday morning. I agree with whoever said you need to remember what a blizzard is. There is a reason the Red Cross and Dept. of Homeland Security urge everyone to have a supply of food and water for up to 5 days incase of winter or other emergency. Last year, in Washington, some streets went unplowed for a week.

You all further north may have a bit more equipment or organization to handle it then we do, but it's still unrealistic to be complaining about not seeing a snow plow yet. In fact, I lived in some areas that got mulitple feet of lake-effect snow ever year. And even there, the streets would usually be a mess after a 20-inch snowstorm. First of all, there is simply no where to put the snow in a city. Once you hit about 16 to 18 inches, it becomes very hard to move it all around and the plows just basically shift it back and forth so it really needs to be scooped up and hauled away.

However, from afar, it does seem that New York and Bloomberg were a bit unprepared for this. I see no reason for all those buses and taxi's getting stuck, and the above ground trains get stranded. When a blizzard is in the forecast, it seems most prudent to do what D.C. does - shut down bus service, tell the cabbies to stay home, and close above ground subway service before they get stranded. Because, once the buses get stuck, how do you expect the plows to get through?

People really should remember that much of the equipment typically used is going to work very slowly or not work at all with that much depth and drifting. But, I suppose people don't think or they must think that the city should raise taxes (lol) to pay for any conceivable situation. I can't believe people are trying to pin this on Bloomberg (and I'm not even a fan of his), but what is he supposed to do?

I've been looking at the pics in this thread from all around the tri-state and I'm just thinking "can't people look outside and see what the problem is?" Furthermore, can't people figure out that when it comes down that fast, the crews cannot stay ahead of it?

It's sort of ridiculous to think that you can endure a Top 5 event of all-time and then just carry on with your business the day after like it's a typical 40* sunny day across the 5 boroughs. I mean, I can't imagine what would happen if the city were to get a direct hit from a tropical system of any magnitude. It's very unlikely statistically, I know, but people don't seem to understand that clearing 24" of snow is not just like clearing 4 6" snowstorms. It's a whole different ball of wax and even I understand that (but I have lived through a 20" storm and it was about 1 week before anything could move).

[Sundog]

People really should remember that much of the equipment typically used is going to work very slowly or not work at all with that much depth and drifting. But, I suppose people don't think or they must think that the city should raise taxes (lol) to pay for any conceivable situation. I can't believe people are trying to pin this on Bloomberg (and I'm not even a fan of his), but what is he supposed to do?

I've been looking at the pics in this thread from all around the tri-state and I'm just thinking "can't people look outside and see what the problem is?" Furthermore, can't people figure out that when it comes down that fast, the crews cannot stay ahead of it?

It's sort of ridiculous to think that you can endure a Top 5 event of all-time and then just carry on with your business the day after like it's a typical 40* sunny day across the 5 boroughs. I mean, I can't imagine what would happen if the city were to get a direct hit from a tropical system of any magnitude. It's very unlikely statistically, I know, but people don't seem to understand that clearing 24" of snow is not just like clearing 4 6" snowstorms. It's a whole different ball of wax and even I understand that (but I have lived through a 20" storm and it was about 1 week before anything could move).

They didn't come out at all. Don't you understand? I saw more plows in 96 15 years ago when the snow was even deeper and came down harder and had just as much wind. If you're not from here you don't know the typical procedure for cleanup. The cleanup doesn't start after the storm it starts before and during the storm. There is a reason every single channel right now that has the noontime news is showing unplowed streets and the lack of response.

Bloomberg said on Monday that the city was having a regular Monday that nothing was abnormal. Go watch a Broadway show! Go shopping! That's what he said. He also said we haven't seen big storms over the last 6 yers because of changing climate. Funny because this has been the most active decade for major storms Since they sarted keeping records.

[mempho]

They didn't come out at all. Don't you understand? I saw more plows in 96 15 years ago when the snow was even deeper and came down harder and had just as much wind. If you're not from here you don't know the typical procedure for cleanup. The cleanup doesn't start after the storm it starts before and during the storm. There is a reason every single channel right now that has the noontime news is showing unplowed streets and the lack of response.

As a follower of these events, I do understand that the general idea is to "stay ahead of the storm." I see that you are in agreement, so the main question that needs to be asked is why that happened better in 1996 than it did in 2010?

Now, I own part of a vacation property at 8,000 feet along I-70 in Colorado and I've paid attention to their methods which are I lived in the lake effect belts in the upstate of NY as a kid, so I know how it's supposed to work, but....

I believe that it is clear that once you guys get to a state where there is 2'+ on the streets with much larger drifts, the situation is pretty much hopeless because the plows basically are only able to move a few feet at a time when there is that much snow...so they basically need haulers. (In CO, they actually just blow it off the side of the mountain in non-valley stretches of highway/interstate...obviously not an option in the city).

Anyway, I suppose that if the city/mayor/etc. is at fault, then it has to do with not staying ahead of the rates. If they could (as you say) keep up with it in '96, then what made this different? Is it less resources? Is it less equipment? Does it have to do with something different weather-related (rates, visibilities, drifiting, etc)? Is it just plain poor planning? Is it that the city allocated all of its resources to certain areas and left the outer boroughs to be buried (i.e., did the mayor allocate everything to keeping Manhattan or other favored areas open at the expense of the rest of you?

Like I said, I'm not really a fan of his, so IDK. However, from afar, you guys seem like you're basically SOL now that there's that much depth on the streets. It can't be done without some major help (either from outside or from nature itself). There's just no way for any city to move that much snow around with any speed.

I would just like someone who knows the situation well to be specific on how exactly the city screwed up...because it has to be in one of the ways mentioned.

Bloomberg said on Monday that the city was having a regular Monday that nothing was abnormal. Go watch a Broadway show! Go shopping! That's what he said. He also said we haven't seen big storms over the last 6 yers because of changing climate. Funny because this has been the most active decade for major storms Since they sarted keeping records.

Well, he's an idiot, then. He's playing Marie Antoinette right now and I guess he missed that one on Broadway...."let them eat cake." He's committing political suicide by making such statements right now. He better hope this thing melts to manageable levels soon and that it comes without so much rain that it causes large-scale urban flooding. I see that the 12z gives JFK a max of 38 over the next 180 with about 0.10" of QPF as liquid and 1-2" more of snow per buffkit. Looks to me like Upton's forecasts for highs in the mid 40's on consecutive days are in some jeopardy.

As someone who did a project on snowmelt, I can tell you that there is a large difference between 45* and 38*....it is very large in terms of daily melt. I can run the calculations if you like, but, suffice it to say, 45* with sun is very good at melting snow...38* is not nearly as good. I'm not entirely sure as to why it works the way it does but you will get some melt and some compacting but the compacting will only make it denser and will make it harder to move even though it will make the depth more manageable for plows.

[NEXtreme]

They didn't come out at all. Don't you understand? I saw more plows in 96 15 years ago when the snow was even deeper and came down harder and had just as much wind. If you're not from here you don't know the typical procedure for cleanup. The cleanup doesn't start after the storm it starts before and during the storm. There is a reason every single channel right now that has the noontime news is showing unplowed streets and the lack of response.

Bloomberg said on Monday that the city was having a regular Monday that nothing was abnormal. Go watch a Broadway show! Go shopping! That's what he said. He also said we haven't seen big storms over the last 6 yers because of changing climate. Funny because this has been the most active decade for major storms Since they sarted keeping records.

The fact is in order to have snow you need cold, no cold no snow. You don't need to be a rocket scientist to figure that out Bloomy!!!

[real]

I think a lot of this comes down to mayor Bloomberg setting false expectations. Same thing happened to D.C. Mayor Fenty last year. Mayors act like they are in control, and everything will be cleaned up soon. That was unrealistic, given the nature of the storm. Bloomberg would have been better off treating this as a real emergency -- telling residents in a stern way this is a serious storm, and will take a while to recover from. Set realistic expections. If it gets cleaned up sooner, great. If it doesn't, at least people were warned.

Frankly, it seems like a severe case of the mayor underestimating the power of mother nature. I remember some models the nigth before were saying New York could get a foot in like 3 or 4 hours. Instead of just dismissing that as model exaggeration, the mayor should have told residents this is a storm that will test the city's ability to handle it.

Last year, the D.C. mayor went on television stating snowmaggeden would be cleaned up within days. When that didn't happen, people blamed him. If he had only started out the storm by warning of possible sacrafice, people would have given him benefit of the doubt that at least's dealing with a true emergency.

[Stormlover74]

Temps have moderated into the upper 30s yesterday and today as expected so I see no reason why we wouldn't get into the 40s for at least a couple days. I think the models have been overestimating the snowpack's effect on temps

Well, he's an idiot, then. He's playing Marie Antoinette right now and I guess he missed that one on Broadway...."let them eat cake." He's committing political suicide by making such statements right now. He better hope this thing melts to manageable levels soon and that it comes without so much rain that it causes large-scale urban flooding. I see that the 12z gives JFK a max of 38 over the next 180 with about 0.10" of QPF as liquid and 1-2" more of snow per buffkit. Looks to me like Upton's forecasts for highs in the mid 40's on consecutive days are in some jeopardy.

As someone who did a project on snowmelt, I can tell you that there is a large difference between 45* and 38*....it is very large in terms of daily melt. I can run the calculations if you like, but, suffice it to say, 45* with sun is very good at melting snow...38* is not nearly as good. I'm not entirely sure as to why it works the way it does but you will get some melt and some compacting but the compacting will only make it denser and will make it harder to move even though it will make the depth more manageable for plows.

[mempho]

He also said we haven't seen big storms over the last 6 yers because of changing climate. Funny because this has been the most active decade for major storms Since they sarted keeping records.

This really makes me wonder. Is this guy an idiot or what? I mean, last year, the paralyzing snows get suppressed to the south into Baltimore/Washington and there have been many many MECS storms this decade (many more than normal) and he says that climate change is causing there to be less of them?

He should, as a proponent of the MMGW theory, at least take the line the AGW is causing the storms to be more intense, etc. I mean, I don't expect most of the population to really know this stuff...I don't. However, this guy is the mayor of NYC and, to boot, he didn't just become the mayor by some freak chance, he became mayor because he is one of the 10 richest men in the nation.

How in the world did he make so much money?

This is the type of thing that makes me think that this guy is just playing all of you to see how stupid the populace is. I just looked closely at his bio and the guy has an MBA from Harvard. The guy is heavily invested in financial markets...he should know this stuff.

The more I think about it, the more I think he's just laughing about it behind closed doors.

[mempho]

Bloomy's picture now the centerpiece on Drudge....major national headlines in the non-MSM circles right now. Infant dies after 9 hour wait for ambulance. Some travelers at airports stranded through the new year. 30 hour waits for EMTs. Lots of bad stuff. The MSM will try to be as soft as they can on him without seeming biased (b/c Bloomy is in all the right circles)...but the rules are the rules and if things go wrong on your watch, they can only CYA so much without it being blatantly obvious and losing all credibility. NYC is an MSM town, so I assume they really have to maintain credibility there as opposed to many places in flyover land where there isn't much credibility anyway.

MSNBC not touching it right now (6th story down is about "stranded travelers")

CNN now leading but it's about how the blizzard has busted the municipal budgets (not about the response).

USA Today leading with Brett Favre.

ABC not on front page yet.

CBS is leading about stranded travelers.

Drudge leads with Bloomy's pic and the headline "On Thin Ice" with multiple links to horror stories and "New Yorkers, Stop Complaining" in red, bolded font in the "above-the-fold" section.

[SP]

I spoke to a few friends in NYC and NJ....all tied into gov.

Apparently the biggest issue was timing....the day after Christmas.....everyone was off.....many on vacations.....workforce assembly. All coupled with the simple fact that post storm most equipment was useless....front loaders are required to dig out streets....on/off ramps.....and in some cases entire stretches of highway.

They should have set expectations on Monday that this was going to take the entire week to clean up.

In Monmouth County I hear of entire developments (town-homes/condos) completely untouched. In one where I have family living there was a medical emergency.....front loader opened a path for an ambulance to the house and that is it. Mayor stated he has no idea when they will be dug out as well many other communities. I head the County Roads are doing better than local and state.

[Amped]

Gotta lover cleaning off the car on a warm day. Push on the snow as lightly as you can and count to 10.

[NEXtreme]

Temps have moderated into the upper 30s yesterday and today as expected so I see no reason why we wouldn't get into the 40s for at least a couple days. I think the models have been overestimating the snowpack's effect on temps

But notice, temps get into the upper 30's by late morning and then don't budge at all the rest of the day I've been bouncing around 37-38 - 38 - 37 for the past 3 to 4 hours.