New York City’s Department of Homeless Services issued a Code Blue alert, doubling the number of people on the street reaching out to those who need shelter at a time when the temperature is experiencing a major drop. The city’s Housing Authority issued a notice to residents on Monday evening asking them to stay indoors as much as possible and to check on older neighbors and those with chronic health problems and special needs.
The high temperature in Central Park on Monday was a balmy 55 degrees; the expected temperature on Tuesday morning is 6 degrees, which would match the record low temperature for Jan. 7, set in 1896. With wind chills, the outdoors could feel like 15 degrees below zero.
The frigid weather was expected to cause other travel problems in the region on Tuesday. Amtrak trains running between Boston and Washington, and between New York and Albany will have reduced schedules on Tuesday, officials said.
On Monday night, Amtrak said that Northeast Regional and Acela express train service was temporarily suspended between Philadelphia and Baltimore because of mechanical problems near Wilmington, Del. Crews were on the scene at 8 p.m. making repairs, officials said.
In western New York, where the Thruway was to be closed, all vehicles traveling westbound were to be detoured off the roadway at Exit 50, and all eastbound traffic was to be detoured off at Exit 61.
On local streets, many still soaking wet from the snowstorm last week and the recent rain, another major problem is likely to be ice.
There will be increased surveillance of the serviceability of buses, trains and planes as well as the roads, tracks and runways they use, officials said.
“As of right now, it is fair to say that customers can expect delays, particularly on the bus side,” John Durso, a spokesman for New Jersey Transit, said on Monday. “Afford yourself ample time to get to your final destinations.”
Steve Coleman, a spokesman for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, said that even a little bit of ice could cause major problems, as was witnessed when a Delta flight slid off a Kennedy Airport runway on Sunday.
The power authorities said that large swings in temperature presented problems even without the expected deep freeze.
“A lot of times the salt that is put down during a snowstorm will melt and then run into wires” and equipment underground, said Alfonso Quiroz, a spokesman for Consolidated Edison.
When the temperature drops below freezing, there is an increasing likelihood that there will be downed power lines and trees, and the utility companies are ready to deploy extra crews.
The cold air will be accompanied by high winds, averaging 20 to 30 miles per hour, with gusts as high as 50 m.p.h.
The city’s Buildings Department said it would be conducting random checks to make sure that all construction sites were secured.
Yahoo Local News – New York Times
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