BLUSTERY

NYC, Boston Call Snow Emergency

As blizzard barrels down on Northeast.

Here we go again. With a winter storm system making its way from the Deep South to the Northeast, the cities of Boston and New York have preemptively declared states of emergency in order to better prepare for the weather. Mayor Bloomberg declared a “weather emergency” in New York City, with eight or more inches of snow expected. Boston’s mayor went a step further, declaring a “ snow emergency,” a category that includes severe parking restrictions, closes schools, and discourages all non-essential driving on city streets. No state of emergency was declared in the days following Christmas, when NYC was blanketed in as much as 20 inches of snow, and today’s cautionary declaration comes after reports that Mayor Bloomberg was in Bermuda when the blizzard hit late last year.