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An upset borough president
Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz is calling on New York City’s telecommunications workers to be pressed into service to cope with the snow emergency created by a weekend blizzard that left more than two feet of snow in parts of New York and New Jersey.
Markowitz told WABC-TV news the mayor’s response to the storm was a “royal screw-up” and he’s angry Manhattan streets are bare while outer boroughs like his contend with roads that have not seen a plow since the storm began.
“Verizon, Cablevision, Time Warner — we need men and women that are healthy and able-bodied,” Markowitz appealed on air. “Twelve bucks an hour — that’s a lot of money — up to fifteen bucks an hour, to be able to help our Sanitation Department clean out streets.”
“We need every available vehicle you’ve got to help clean this place up,” said Markowitz. “I want as to look as good as Broadway in Manhattan — clean it like Broadway in Manhattan, no more and no less.”
These Verizon trucks won't be of much help, stuck in an intersection in Queens.
Much of the city remains under difficult driving conditions because of abandoned vehicles left in the middle of streets and a lack of plowing. Disruptions to electric, phone and cable service have been reported because of accidents, damage done by snow removal vehicles, and moisture-related equipment failures.
Pressing companies like Verizon and Time Warner into service may not provide much assistance, considering vehicles belonging to both companies were themselves stuck in many locations around the city.
For residents upstate, already dealing with record-breaking snowfalls in December, the chaos downstate is mystifying. Residents in Buffalo, Rochester, and Syracuse have another word for the holiday blizzard: Sunday.
The three cities continue their annual competition for the Golden Snowball Award for the upstate community left with the most white stuff:
Golden Snowball Totals for the 2010 – 2011 Snowfall Season
Updated 12/27/2010
| Cities | This Season | Normal Average to Date |
This Time Last Season | Normal Seasons Average |
All Time Season Snowfall Record |
| Syracuse | 73.1 | 32.3 | 12.5 | 121.1 | 192.1 inches ( 1992 – 1993 ) |
| Rochester | 46.8 | 26.1 | 20.4 | 100.3 | 161.7 inches ( 1959 – 1960 ) |
| Buffalo | 31.9 | 32.3 | 17.5 | 97 | 199.4 inches ( 1976 – 1977 ) |
| Binghamton | 31.1 | 22.8 | 19.8 | 81 | 134.0 inches ( 1995 – 1996 ) |
| Albany | 7.7 | 15.6 | 12.0 | 62.6 | 112.5 inches ( 1970 – 1971 ) |
[flv width=”640″ height=”500″]http://www.phillipdampier.com/video/WABC New York City Copes With Storm Aftereffects 12-28-10.flv[/flv]
WABC-TV provides the views of Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz, as well as a roundup of the lightning-hot anger being felt by an increasing number of New Yorkers stuck at home because of unplowed streets. (17 minutes)
