At least 16 people have now been found dead outdoors in New York City amid a bitter run of freezing temperatures with the mercury at or below freezing for the 11th day in a row, Mayor Mamdani said Monday.
Of those, preliminary findings show that in 13 of those deaths, hypothermia played a role, and three of those deaths appeared to be overdoses, the mayor said. Ten had past interactions with the homeless shelter system, officials said.
“My heart is with the family of those mourning their loved ones, we are continuing to do everything in our power to get every New Yorker into a shelter where they will be warm,” Mamdani said from a press conference on the roof of the Dinkins building.
The city is under a Code Blue warning, meaning temperatures are below 32 degrees between 4 p.m. and 8 a.m. and the city enacts extra emergency protocols and dispatches more outreach workers.
As of Monday morning, city workers have placed over 930 people in shelters and safe havens and involuntarily transported 18 people to hospitals. The mayor announced the opening on Saturday of an additional 50 single room shelter units.
There are also now 20 heated buses moving throughout the city to help get New Yorkers off the streets, though there are reportedly issues with spreading the word about the buses as well as additional cold weather resources.
Mamdani said the city would be adding more signs around the buses on Monday and Tuesday to address that.
“We’re going to use every single resource at our disposal to continue to build on this work, to open up more shelters, open up more beds, and ensure that New Yorkers are staying warm,” Mamdani said.
Michael Appleton/Mayoral Photography Office
Mayor Zohran Mamdani visits the 9th Avenue Drop-in Center in Manhattan on Sunday as frigid temperatures persist in the city. (Michael Appleton/Mayoral Photography Office)
The mayor has come under criticism for reversing an Adams-era initiative under which homeless encampments were forcibly removed from the streets, but said Monday that none of those found dead appeared to live in homeless encampments, which Mamdani has been criticized for ending the practice of sweeping.
The frigid conditions are expected to continue through the week.
