Following Eight Public Hearings on Local Response to the December 2010 Blizzard, Council Proposes Recommendations Focusing on
\nPlanning, Preparedness, Coordination, and Communication<\/p>\n
New York, February 27, 2011 \u2013 As part of the New York City Council\u2019s oversight of the city\u2019s response to the 2010 December Blizzard, Council Speaker Christine C. Quinn, Sanitation Committee Chair Letitia James, Public Safety Chair Peter Vallone Jr., Fire and Criminal Justice Chair Elizabeth Crowley, Oversight and Investigations Chair Jumaane Williams, and Transportation Committee Chair James Vacca, today released a series of recommendations to improve future emergency weather responses in New York City. <\/p>\n
\u201cSince December, the City Council has heard nearly 25 hours of public testimony from over 100 different people on the city\u2019s response to the December 2010 Blizzard,\u201d said Speaker Quinn. \u201cOver the course of these hearings we demanded answers from the highest levels of both the Bloomberg Administration and the Metropolitan Transportation Authority; we listened to the stories \u2013 often tragic \u2013 of New Yorkers whose calls for help during this emergency went unanswered; and most importantly, we got significant and meaningful feedback from hundreds of New Yorkers who know their communities and their organizations best. Using this feedback, the Council has proposed a series of recommendations to improve future emergency weather response in New York City. Thank you to everyone who took the time to participate in this important fact-finding process, especially to the Committee Chairs who traveled far and wide to listen to public testimony.\u201d<\/p>\n
In the last two months, the City Council held eight oversight hearings, including six borough-specific hearings and one MTA-focused hearing, on the local response to the December 2010 Blizzard.<\/p>\n
RECOMMENDATIONS<\/p>\n
Focused on improving planning, preparedness, coordination and communication, the Committee Chairs together proposed the following recommendations:<\/p>\n
Establish a transparent snow planning and management process
\n\u2022 The Department of Sanitation should review previous year\u2019s snow removal efforts, develop a comprehensive snow removal plan for each borough, and review and revise that plan annually;
\n\u2022 Plan should include the following:
\na. Define, designate and publish the breakdown of primary, secondary and tertiary streets as well as the Department\u2019s plow routes, and make these available on-line;
\nb. Improve removal of snow at bus stops and curb cuts located at primary street intersections;
\nc. Suspend parking meters under emergency weather conditions related to snow.<\/p>\n
Ensure private sector resources are sufficient and available when needed
\n\u2022 Strengthen contracting procurement methods for private entities providing emergency-related equipment and services;
\n\u2022 Maximize participation of volunteer and private ambulances during emergencies and simplify volunteer ambulance participation in the 911 system;
\n\u2022 Establish an online database of snow removal volunteers and locations requiring snow removal and coordinate with Business Improvement Districts to clear snow from sidewalks and other public locations.<\/p>\n
Repair problems in emergency management
\n\u2022 The Administration should establish a formal and transparent process for opening the Office of Emergency Management\u2019s Emergency Operations Center and for declaring emergency weather conditions;
\n\u2022 The Office of Emergency Management should designate borough directors to coordinate emergency responses in each borough.<\/p>\n
Improve communication between the Administration, public officials and the public
\n\u2022 Improve communication between residents, elected officials and on-the-ground workers through a designated Department of Sanitation supervisor in each borough;
\n\u2022 Formalize the criteria to request State aid and assistance from private and volunteer ambulances;
\n\u2022 Establish a centralized system, available online and through other media, to notify New Yorkers of changes to public services, such as garbage collection, parking rules, and transportation services.<\/p>\n
\u201cAfter hearing from residents throughout the City concerning the December 2010 snow blizzard, the Council\u2019s Sanitation Committee is proud to join in the development of these detailed recommendations meant to improve citywide weather response in the future,\u201d said Council Member Letitia James, chair of the Sanitation and Solid Waste Committee. \u201cAlong with the Sanitation Department\u2019s already-implemented improved snow training procedures and district restructuring, I believe that these actions address the weak links in agency structure. I am confident that building stronger inter-agency communication is the key to preventing catastrophes like this from reoccurring.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe system in place prior to the Blizzard of 2010, which allowed for a great deal of discretion, failed us,\u201d said Council Member Peter Vallone, Jr., chair of the Public Safety Committee. \u201cThe City Council will now push for some hard and fast rules to ensure that the same mistakes are never made again.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe series of City Council hearings that examined what went wrong during and following the Christmas Blizzard 2010, revealed two critical problems: one, the city failed to call for a state of emergency which lead to abandoned cars on streets and an across-the-board lack of preparedness; and two, there was a complete dysfunction in the chain of command mainly concentrated at the top,\u201d Council Member Elizabeth Crowley, chair of the Fire and Criminal Justice Committee. \u201cMoving forward, in the event of a storm, we need open and definitive direction from the Administration about who is in charge, how the city will address the problem and what actions are expected of city residents. My main concern is public safety, therefore, our emergency response units should always be equipped with the tools needed in case of a large-scale emergency.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThese proposed recommendations for snow response are essential for our communities to make sure there isn’t a repeat of the December 2010 Blizzard. There needs to be an increase in cross-agency communication when storms occur and certain people should be designated to make decisions whenever the Mayor’s top officials are not available. I am looking forward to these recommendations being implemented,\u201d said Council Member Jumaane Williams, chair of the Oversight and Investigation Committee.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe city’s response to the December 26th blizzard was completely unacceptable,\u201d said Council Member James Vacca, chair of the Transportation Committee. \u201cPeople who live on so-called tertiary streets, which are most New Yorkers, waited for days before seeing a plow. Thanks to a vocal response from the public, the Administration has already come forth with a number of reforms. The Council\u2019s recommendations go even further, making sure taxpaying New Yorkers get the basic services they are entitled to.\u201d<\/p>\n
###<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Following Eight Public Hearings on Local Response to the December 2010 Blizzard, Council Proposes Recommendations Focusing on
\nPlanning, Preparedness, Coordination, and Communication<\/p>\n
New York, February 27, 2011 \u2013 As part of the New York City Council\u2019s oversight of the city\u2019s response to the 2010 December Blizzard, Council Speaker Christine C. Quinn, Sanitation Committee Chair Letitia James, Public Safety Chair Peter Vallone Jr., Fire and Criminal Justice Chair Elizabeth Crowley, Oversight and Investigations Chair Jumaane Williams, and Transportation Committee Chair James Vacca, today released a series of recommendations to improve future emergency weather responses in New York City.<\/p>\n
…<\/p>\n