Sawt Falasteen - Blizzard blows New Yorkers' plans off course

Ahead of the 9:00 pm traffic ban, the intensity of the storm slashed visibility to the extent that the skyscrapers of Wall Street were barely visible from the adjacent borough of Brooklyn.

Heavy snowfall, which could dump up to 28 inches in parts of the metropolis, and high winds forecast to reach 55 miles per hour made for treacherous, white-out driving conditions before the road closure.

Alfred Almodovar, 36, who drives to work in Manhattan from his home in outer Brooklyn because of a physical disability asked: "How do I get to work?"

"We barely recovered from the last storm, where Access-A-Ride was banned -- and my train station is not handicap accessible," said the hospital secretary, as high winds blew drifts of snow horizontally.

Access-A-Ride provides personalized journeys for some of New York's most vulnerable people, including the disabled and those with health conditions. Again it will cut its service, until the non-essential traffic ban is due to be lifted at 12 p.m. Monday (1700 GMT).

The traffic ban will not affect essential workers or New Yorkers needing to travel due to emergencies.

It will apply to the vast majority of road traffic including private and commercial vehicles and even e-bikes. Buses will run and food delivery is allowed, although discouraged.

Mayor Zohran Mamdani, facing one of his biggest tests since becoming the city's leader in January, said he was "urging all New Yorkers to look out for yourselves and your neighbors: stay home if you can, stay safe, and stay connected."

The major winter storm will also hit swaths of the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic United States.

- 'Ice away' -

Brooklyn resident Brandon Smith, 33, said "it's crazy out there" as buses fitted with heavy snow chains trundled past.

"It's gonna be difficult for most New Yorkers to get around because we still have to go to work. It's unfortunate (roads) are suspended as jobs are not gonna stop calling us in," he said.

Schools were to be closed Monday, the mayor announced, with a "traditional" snow day declared meaning students are spared distance learning.

But "what about the parents who need to go to work? It's not fair," asked Smith.

Many major employers told their staff to work from home, while the United Nations announced its Manhattan headquarters would shutter Monday, forcing the postponement of a Security Council meeting on the Central African Republic.

Seagulls were buffeted by high winds as they tried to fly along the icy East River.

Ahead of the storm, hardware stores did a steady trade in yellow sacks of "Ice Away" rock salt to prepare sidewalks and passageways.

Van Nest Hardware in the Bronx, where 50-pound (23 kilogram) bags flew off the shelves, had stocked up after running out during a major storm last month, local media reported.

At the St. Clement's Episcopal Church in Hell's Kitchen, volunteer Thabang Maitisa, 42, said there had been a sharp drop in people reaching its food bank pantry.

"Such extreme weather as this causes a huge decline in people who show up to collect food," he told AFP.

H.Nasr--SF-PST