72 Hour Storm Watch: Snapshot of Snowstorm Complaints to the Office of the Public Advocate December 30, 2010 Visit the Office of the Public Advocate on the web at advocate.nyc.gov, call the Office at 212-669-7250 or email at
[email protected] OFFICE OF THE NEW YORK CITY PUBLIC ADVOCATE Bill de Blasio Public Advocate for the City of New York Prepared By: Emma Wolfe Chief of Staff Ursulina Ramirez Senior Policy Associate Irum Taqi, Esq. Deputy General Counsel Wiley Norvell Press Secretary 1 Introduction On December 26, 2010 New York City experienced the sixth largest snowstorm in City history1, with snow falls upward of 20 inches2 in some neighborhoods. The storm had a crippling effect on many of the City’s vital services such as transportation, emergency response systems and access to hospitals. Additionally, it brought many neighborhoods to a halt, especially those in the outer-boroughs. Although it is difficult to predict the severity of large storms, the lack of snow clearance in many areas of the City raises concerns over the preparation and planning for this winter’s first large snowstorm. Despite the difficulty in predicting the impact of storms, it has become overwhelmingly evident that the City was ill-prepared to handle such a large and fast approaching storm, and there is minimal public information about the City’s planning and preparation for the storm and how it will improve its efforts in the future. During the seventy-two hour period after the storm hit New York City, the Office of the Public Advocate (“Office”) catalogued nearly 950 complaints from anxious and stranded constituents due to the impact of the snowstorm.