I agree totally with cuomo. Its the only way to get folks to stay off the street and be safe. Last year and years before folk went out on the streets and got stuck in the snow for days with no water and food. All the mayor and governor was doing was to make it safe for everyone. I think they did a damn good job.
The last major storm we had in NY was in 2013. It was a big problem because the snow started around noon, and dropped nearly 18 inches by 7 PM. 12 hours ahead of this storms time cycle.
What Cuomo is doing now is in reaction to what the State failed to do in 2013. Because that storm dumped snow at a far greater rate than predicted, the State was unprepared. Plowing of NYS highways was delayed to 4 PM on purpose. They only expected 4 or 5 inches by then. Instead, they had at least a foot and many cars had already become stuck. Following the State's lead, Suffolk County didn't begin plowing until 4 PM. Since the county and townships employ hundreds of private plow drivers, many of these guys were at their jobs. By the time the full plowing resources were deployed, many areas already had 2 to 3 feet of snow. Inasmuch as most private plow contractors use pickup trucks, the snow was already too deep to push. Many became stuck themselves (I pulled out a couple with my Jeep). Thousands of cars were stuck on highways and major roads. With roads blocked, even the best 4x4 trucks could not get past them. Heavy trucks couldn't plow. It was a fast acting cascade effect.
The State failed to anticipate the possibility of greater snow fall amounts. All they had to do was look out their windows. State, county and town crews were begging to go out and get started, but were told to stand down. Government moved like a glacier, and no one wants to make a decision.
Coumo over-reacted to some degree. He had taken a real beating for the previous 2013 debacle. Town supervisors were pummeled as well. Thus, they didn't want to fail so badly again. The real panic was seen at the township level. Several Long Island towns issued emergency orders to get all non emergency vehicles off the public roads by 7 PM. This was truly ridiculous, when one considers that there was barely two inches of accumulation at 7 PM. People were going home from work, and the snow wasn't much of a problem. Most folks ignored the order if they had to get home. The county Police and Sheriff refused to enforce the Chicken Little-like order. They understood that it would be an unnecessary hardship on residents.
I very much dislike Cuomo, but closing the highways and railroads at 11 PM wasn't a bad decision.
