A Day Later, Park Slope Still Covered in Snow

Nearly 24 hours after the snow subsided, Park Slope is still a winter wonderland with the majority of the neighborhood's streets still entirely unplowed.

Though major thoroughfares have been cleared, residents still struggle to make it down unplowed side streets, some even busting out cross country skis for easier neighborhood travels.

"I'm old enough to remember when Mayor John Lindsay forgot to plow Queens in 1969, and this has to be just as bad," said lifelong Park Slope resident Steve Kabincinski, 58.

"But the neighborhood response hasn't been great either," Kabincinski said, alluding to the many unshoveled sidewalks in the neighborhood as well.

Though the Department of Sanitation initially announced that it was even seeking to hire private heavy-duty equipment firms to assist in clearing city streets, most of Park Slope did not even see a single plow (other than snowbound ones) until mid-morning today.

According to city officials, the major problem has been with abandoned vehicles in streets. Those vehicles make it impossible for tow trucks to plow.

Earlier today Mayor Michael Bloomberg held a press conference with top city and emergency response officials on the city's response to the blizzard. Bloomberg said the city is doing everything they can to quickly plow the streets including utilizing the trucks and vehicles of other city agencies and hiring private tow trucks to assist.

"It takes longer to dig out and tow than to plow," he said. "Until we can dig those out, plows can't do anything."

Bloomberg said the NYPD and other authorized tow trucks had already towed approximately 1,000 vehicles from the Gowanus, Van Wyck and Cross Bronx Expressways alone, and that 108 ambulances had been cleared from streets. As of 9:30 a.m., 40 were still stuck across the city.

In total, 200 workers and 1700 plows are clearing the streets, Bloomberg said, adding that in South Brooklyn, 8 additional tow trucks have been deployed.

Still, Park Slope residents are upset.

"I don't really understand this," said First Street resident Rebecca Pronsky, 30. "It's like the city completely overlooked us. I talk to my friends in Manhattan and they say everything is fine."

A walk through the neighborhood even now, nearly 30 hours after the storm has passed, reveals stranded cars, buses, snowplows and trucks. The driver of semi tractor-trailer that has been stuck blocking traffic for over 7 hours at Sixth Avenue and Ninth Street after sliding into a snow bank said that though several Department of Sanitation vehicles have passed by, none have stopped to help him, or even stopped at all.

One visitor to nearby Cobble Hill decided not to wait around for the city to plow the street her car was stuck on: instead, she paid a private plow to dig her out.

"I had no chance of getting out and I need to get home!," said Nancy Haragan, who was visiting from Balitimore.

Residents weren't the only ones angry about the city's response to the post-Christmas blizzard, either. Though Mayor Bloomberg has continually defended the city response to the storm, Council Member Stephen Levin expressed disappointment and outrage over the lack of response.

"It is unacceptable that, a full day after the storm, major avenues throughout my district have yet to see a snow plow," said Levin in a statement. "Clearly, City Hall and the leadership at the Sanitation Department were entirely unprepared for a storm of this magnitude, and we are all paying the price for that now."

Council Member Brad Lander's office added that they are working diligently to bring complaints to the attention of the Department of Sanitation and the Office of Emergency Management. After speaking with the Department of Sanitation, Lander's office is not optimistic about the city getting all of the side streets clear by the end of the day. 

Other city agencies have still not fully recovered from the storm as well. All Park Slope trains excepting the R were suspended yesterday, and although all but the Q are up and running, all trains are still experiencing delays. Nor are buses are not running at local capacity.

The Fire Department of New York has reported a backlog of over 1,300 emergency calls, and critical patients have experienced 911 wait times of up to three hours.

Emergency response was an issue of major concern to residents living on un-plowed blocks. Bloomberg said this was an issue that would be looked at.

"Too many ambulances went down blocked streets, once it got in, it couldn't get out," he said, adding that more training on "those kinds of lines" was a city priority.

Bloomberg called on New Yorkers to remain "patient."

"Nobody suggests this is easy or pleasurable," he said. "We will pull together."

Bloomberg said in another 24 hours the city should be mostly cleaned up.

"But I'm not so sure," he added.

Sanitation Commissioner John Doherty said 24-hours was reasonable in "some places."

"The biggest problem is not getting the trucks we need," he said.

"If your street was plowed, the response was adequate, if your street wasn't plowed, the response was inadequate," said Bloomberg. 

This story was updated to reflect comments from Council Member Brad Lander.