Hercules batters NYC, shutting schools, airports, highways
By Aaron Feis, Natalie O'Neill, Kathryn Cusma and Lorena Mongelli
January 3, 2014 | 9:20am
Snow makes it way down to the platform of the 65th Street subway station. Reuters
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The first storm of 2014 smacked the Big Apple on Friday morning, shuttering schools, airports and highways — and forcing the city's new mayor to bust out a snow shovel in front of his Brooklyn home.
Bill de Blasio honed his man-of-the-people image by rolling up his sleeves for the manual labor his Park Slope pad, just hours after Winter Storm Hercules dumped six inches of snow and brought winds as high as 25 miles per hour.
"I urge all New Yorkers don't lift with your back, lift with your knees. That's my helpful tip," de Blasio said, demonstrating his shoveling technique.
"I've lived in this house for 13 years, and I've shoveled this walk more times than I can count. So I have very particular high standards … I grew up in a very snowy part of the world, so it comes in handy. I'm used to it," he said.
The storm forced public schools to close and highways such the Long Island Expressway to shutter from midnight until 8 a.m. Snow tapered off on Friday morning – but temperatures dropped 11 degrees with a wind chill of -4 degrees.
Mayor de Blasio shoveling snow outside his home in Park Slope Friday morning.
Stefan Jeremiah
Snow makes it way down to the platform of the 65th Street subway station.
A worker uses a snow blower to clear the front entrance of the Ronkonkoma Train Station Friday.
Victor Alcorn
A man fights through the snow in Manhattan early Friday morning.
Christopher Sadowski
A man shoveling snow in Manhattan.
Two pedestrians brave the snow in Manhattan.
A man walks through the snow in midtown Manhattan.
Workers try to clear up snow in midtown Manhattan.
A plow pushes snow near Rockefeller Center in midtown Manhattan.
A man operates a snow blower in Manhattan.
A woman walks with her bicycle early Friday.
A plow pushes snow through Times Square.
A man shovels snow off his porch in Brooklyn.
A man tries to walk down the street in the snow in Brooklyn.
The Manhattan Bridge
Taxis slowly make their way through snow-covered streets in New York.
Snow-covered chairs and a table with icicles on its rim stand in front of a restaurant in downtown Manhattan.
Parked cars are covered in snow in New York.
A man plows snow in a New Jersey parking lot Friday.
Children make a snow pile in Times Square.
Heavy machinery clears the snow at LaGuardia Airport.
Men shovel snow during Winter Storm Hercules in lower Manhattan.
Two young ladies pose for a picture in Times Square Thursday.
People walk through the snow during winter storm "Hercules" in lower Manhattan
People in Times Square play in the snow as New York City is hit by the first winter storm of the year Thursday night.
Visitors enjoy the snow on Broadway.
The NYPD booth outside Mayor de Blasio's Park Slope home.
Paul Martinka
A worker shovels snow away from the front of a store in Lower Manhattan.
A man takes advantage of the snow to cross-country ski up Seventh Avenue.
Seth Gottfried
Two dogs wait for their owner in the snow outside of a store in Manhattan.
Robert Mecea
Snow plows attempt to clear Route 21 in Newark, NJ.
A sanitation snow plow clears streets in Manhattan.
A woman pauses to take a selfie in lower Manhattan.
A person walks on a snow-covered street of Lower Manhattan.
Times Square is left nearly empty by Winter Storm Hercules.
Motorists attempt to make their way through Times Square.
Visitors enjoy the snow in Times Square.
People walk on the snow covered hill of Leonard Gordon Park as snow falls over them in Jersey City, NJ.
A truck-mounted snowblower clears a section of Route 128/I95 South in Dedham, Mass.
Crew clears snow in Fenway Park, home of baseball's Boston Red Sox, in Boston.
A man walks in the snow down a road along the shore in Scituate, Mass.
A tattered flag flies by a flooded yard along the shore in Scituate, Mass.
A man clears snow from a vehicle in Albany, NY.
A visitor to Rock Creek Park walks on a pedestrian bridge in Washington D.C.
A jogger runs on the National Mall, with the Washington Monument in the background in Washington D.C.
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Hundreds of airport flights were canceled, including more than 190 at LaGuardia, 120 at JFK and 247 at Newark Liberty.
JFK and LaGuardia airports were closed due to the arctic blast but Newark stayed open — hosting a throng of stranded travelers.
"It's been a big headache," said Craig Gherst of Alberta, Canada, who was stranded for 12 hours.
"I was supposed to be on a 924 flight last night time Denver that was canceled. I was on standby for three different flights…I went and stayed with a friend and now I'm back trying to get a ticket," he said.
But the subway system was smooth sailing, for the most part, according to the MTA.
"We are currently seeing good service with minimal impacts but will keep a close watch on the forecasts and field reports throughout the region…Those who have to travel should monitor the news and check with mta.info before heading out this morning," "Gov. Cuomo said in a statement.
At de Blasio's home, his son Dante also helped with the shoveling.
"Dante gets part two — he gets the front walk here and he gets all the snow that comes after me. ‎So he's gonna have plenty to do," the mayor said.
He added, "‎I think the city agencies are doing a hell of a job [with the storm]… I especially want to thank the Sanitation Department… The minute it was time to roll out the plows, there were 1,700 trucks out. It's been an incredible effort."
But some Queens residents fired back, saying the city should have done more to plow side streets north of 14th Avenue.
"I expected better but this is the forgotten area anyway. We're always the last to get plowed out… I would say if they started last night, they should've had some side streets plowed by now," said Tony Genovese, 44.
John Hauff , 55, a carpenter from Queens added, "None of the side streets have been plowed but at least they're navigable."
A storm warning is in effect until 1 p.m. on Friday, de Blasio said in a statement.
"New Yorkers need to be extremely careful going outdoors. The best things people can do are to stay off the roads so we can clear them as fast as possible, and to check in on elderly and vulnerable neighbors who might need help," de Blasio said.
Government offices remained open on and few New Yorkers lost power.
"PSE&G storm update – the storm has had little impact on our electric system. At this time, 30 customers are out," the agency tweeted.
Filed under storms , transit , weather
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