Don’t Mess with Public Safety

On the night of Jan. 26, Manhattan was cut off from the rest of the world. All bridges and tunnels were closed off at 11:00 p.m., and even a curfew was imposed. All other public transit, including buses, commuter trains and the subway — which runs 24 hours a day — had to take a day off as well.

This unprecedented decision to “shut down” New York City came as a response to a weather forecast. The American National Weather Service issued a warning: Snow depth would be three feet and there would be strong winds of hurricane-like velocity of 55 to 65 miles per hour. New York Mayor Bill de Blasio urged for thorough preparations, saying, “Forget all other previous experiences.”*

Not limited to the government offices, even Wall Street financial firms sent their employees home early that afternoon. Some companies even decided to take an additional day off on the 27. Stores and cafés were closed, leaving only streetlights and billboards to occupy the sleepless streets of Times Square.

The promise of a monster blizzard was not fulfilled the next day. They fussed over the blizzard and predicted snow fall of at least two feet; but Manhattan’s Central Park did not see more than eight inches of snow that day. The media criticized the city’s excessive response, reporting that whenever New York City is closed down, there is a loss of $700 million daily. A news channel reported “thousands of canceled flights and about 24,000 closed restaurants and shops” — relaying the “criticisms of citywide closures over snow that barely comes up to the ankles.”* The National Weather Service issued an apology that reads “my deepest apologies to many key decision makers and so many members of the general public.” However, Mayor de Blasio defended the National Weather Service, saying “To me, this was a no-brainer: We had to take precautions to keep people safe.”

In this reporter’s opinion, what should be noted in this story is not the unfulfilled promises of the monster blizzard, but the efficiency of America’s disaster management system. The series of decisions were made quickly — almost fast enough to make people question the meticulousness of the decisions — after all, the situation wouldn’t have arrived for another 12 hours. With but a single administrative order, the curfew, which was borderline martial law, was enacted, and the citizens followed the order expeditiously and meticulously without exceptions. The Consulate General of the Republic of Korea in New York issued a statement, saying, “Whether the natural disaster will happen or not is not the decision made by government officials in America,” and “the mentality that does not negotiate over the safety of its citizens is admirable — something we ought to learn from.”

*Editor’s note: The original quotation, accurately translated, could not be verified.