Travel ban, school decisions, and a city tested by two feet of snow
The Blizzard That Tested New York’s New Mayor
On February 22, 2026, Mayor Zohran Mamdani declared a citywide state of emergency and imposed a blanket travel ban as a powerful bomb cyclone prepared to drop nearly two feet of snow across New York City and the surrounding region. It was the second significant winter storm of Mamdani’s young administration, and it arrived during an already turbulent week marked by political controversies and ongoing negotiations with Albany.
The Travel Ban and Its Scope
The travel ban took effect at 9 p.m. on Sunday, February 22, and was lifted at noon on Monday, February 23. During that period, all city streets, highways, and bridges were closed to non-emergency traffic. The restriction applied to all vehicles, including cars, trucks, scooters, and e-bikes, with exceptions only for emergency workers and critical service providers. Governor Kathy Hochul also declared a state of emergency for New York City. The storm’s reach extended across the I-95 corridor, with blizzard warnings affecting more than 40 million Americans. New York City, Boston, and Philadelphia were each projected to receive between 18 and 24 inches of snow. Wind gusts reached 60 miles per hour, and more than 14,000 U.S. flights were disrupted over the storm’s duration.
The School Controversy
One of the administration’s most contested decisions came on Monday, when Mamdani announced that public schools would reopen for in-person learning on Tuesday. The decision drew criticism from parents, teachers’ union leaders, and local officials, particularly on Staten Island, which was among the hardest-hit boroughs. Critics argued that conditions on many streets remained unsafe for children walking to school or riding buses. The tension highlighted an inherent challenge in urban emergency management: decisions made centrally for a city of eight million people will always fit some neighborhoods better than others. Staten Island, more dependent on cars and buses and less densely served by the subway, faced conditions that were objectively different from those in lower Manhattan or parts of Brooklyn.
Shoveling for $30 an Hour
In a move that drew widespread attention, the administration offered $30 per hour to anyone willing to help shovel snow throughout the city. The New York City Department of Sanitation had already posted a call for temporary per diem shovelers before the storm, offering a starting rate of $19.14 per hour that increased to $28.71 after 40 hours in a week. Mamdani’s $30 figure was announced during press conference updates on the storm response. The program reflects a recognition that the scale of snow removal in a city of 300 square miles of streets and sidewalks requires more than the DSNY’s permanent workforce. Outreach teams were mobilized for vulnerable residents, and the department worked around the clock to clear bus lanes, fire hydrants, crosswalks, and step streets.
Post-Storm Accountability
The New York City Council announced it would hold a hearing to review the Mamdani administration’s handling of both the February blizzard and an earlier January storm. The hearing, originally scheduled before the February blizzard, was rescheduled due to the storm itself. Acting Sanitation Commissioner Javier Lojan was expected to testify. Questions were anticipated about plowing response times, school closure decisions, and accessibility for people with disabilities. The Federal Emergency Management Agency’s guidance on urban winter storm preparedness provides a framework against which city responses can be evaluated. The NYC Emergency Management office coordinates the city’s response to major weather events. The city’s performance in a major weather emergency is often the most visible test a mayor faces, and Mamdani’s first winter storms have generated both praise for the swift emergency declaration and criticism for the school reopening call.
