Mayor reiterated that the city under his responsibility has been in a state of emergency since January 19
The mayor Zohran Mamdani confirmed that the number of deaths during the cold wave extreme that affects several states in the United States has increased to 14 in New York, and that in at least eight of them hypothermia is a possible cause, although authorities are still awaiting official autopsy results.
Mamdani reiterated that the city under his responsibility has been in a state of emergency since January 19 and that all possible measures have been taken to move homeless people and other New Yorkers in need to safe places.
“Every life lost in this city is a tragedy, and my heart goes out to the families of the loved ones of those who have passed away,” he said.
He also noted that since January 19, more than 860 people were taken to shelters and other safe placesand that shelters were opened in the city’s five districts.
As part of these efforts and given the concern of several NGOs about the homeless, the city sent a contingent of social workers and other municipal employees to the streets and provided heated buses where they could take refuge.
The high death toll led many to question the city’s preparedness and response to this climate emergency and Mamdani’s decision not to evict homeless camps, highlighted “The New York Times”.
Former mayor Eric Adams took to social media to give his opinion on the matter last Thursday, when the death toll was ten, and said he had “begged” the then-mayor-elect “not to revoke the policy that prevented homeless New Yorkers from freezing outdoors in makeshift camps.”
“He (Mamdani) didn’t listen to me,” said the former mayor.
The city did not reveal the names of the victims, only that six of them were known to the Department of Social Services. It also did not say where they were found outdoors.
*With information from EFE
