New York counted 13 hypothermia-related deaths as the city weathered an exceptionally cold snap that swept across much of the United States in late January, its mayor said Monday.
Zohran Mamdani said the city has activated a fleet of 20 vehicles with emergency warming centers and healthcare professionals. (AP file photo)The metropolis “could be in the middle of the longest period of continuous sub 32 degrees (0C) weather in our city’s history,” Mayor Zohran Mamdani said.
He told reporters that 16 New Yorkers had died during the cold weather. Hypothermia is believed to have “played a role” in 13, while three are considered drug overdoses.
None of these people were camped on the road at the time of their deaths, the mayor added. Some had previously contacted emergency shelter services.
Mamdani said the city has activated a fleet of 20 vehicles with emergency warming centers and healthcare professionals.
“As of this morning, we have made over 930 placements in shelters and safe havens. We have also involuntarily transported 18 New Yorkers who were determined to be a danger to themselves or others,” he said.
Between 2005 and 2021, between 9 and 27 cold-related deaths were recorded in New York each year, according to official statistics. This number rises to 34 in 2021 and 54 in 2022.
