With many businesses and schools shut across New York City on Monday as it experienced Blizzard, Mayor Zohran Mamdani decided to pay New Yorkers to shovel snow on city’s streets during historic winter storm.
During a press conference, Mamdani said that the city had arranged 33 vans and two buses in coordination with the New York City Department of Sanitation to transport shovelers to areas where they were needed. The online registration notice stated that applicants must be at least 18 years old, legally eligible to work in the US, and capable of handling physically demanding work.
It also said that those seeking an appointment must bring two passport-sized photographs, two original identification documents, and a Social Security card.
How much is Mamdani paying to shovel snow?
Mamdani is paying $19.14 per hour to shovel snow in New York City, according to Daily Mail. It will reportedly be raised to $28.71 per hour following the first 40 hours worked in a week.
Netizens react
One of the users said, “I believe this to be taunting their hypocrisy on ID, it just has to be,” another added. “To shovel now and trash but not to vote,” another user remarked.
A user questioned, “Has any other politician ever offered any money to help your community?” “The comparison is more political than practical. ID checks for emergency work are usually about payment verification and worker safety, while voting laws are governed by separate legal standards,” said another.
Mamdani withdrew the order that had shut streets, highways and bridges to most vehicles, and city schools were set to reopen for in-person classes on Tuesday. However, the storm continued to affect transportation across the Northeast and other regions. Amtrak suspended rail service between New York City and Boston, while flight cancellations increased across the country.
Meanwhile, a severe winter storm cut power to about 600,000 homes and businesses across the Northeast and forced the cancellation of more than 10,000 flights through Tuesday, although conditions began improving in New York City.
Snowfall totals were significant, with Central Park recording around 20 inches (50 cm) between Sunday and Monday, while Islip on Long Island received more than 22 inches, according to the National Weather Service, as per a Bloomberg report.
In Providence, snowfall reached 32.8 inches, setting a new record for a single storm and surpassing the previous mark from the Blizzard of 1978, when 28.6 inches were recorded. By Monday afternoon, snowfall had eased across New York and conditions were gradually improving, according to National Weather Service Meteorologist Jim Connolly.
Connolly mentioned, “The worst is over for New York. Any significant accumulations are over.”
A weak weather system is expected to move through the Mid-Atlantic from Thursday into Friday and could bring a few inches of fresh snow to New York City, possibly extending as far north as Boston, according to Frank Pereira, a senior branch forecaster at the Weather Prediction Center.
Looking further ahead, a stronger storm could develop by the middle of next week, though Pereira said it is still too early to predict the specifics, the report noted. One forecast model suggests the major East Coast cities, including New York, could see only rain, while another indicates there may be some snowfall.
