NEW YORK CITY (PIX11) — A 17th New Yorker has died on the streets during the ongoing dangerously cold snap.
There is continued concern about homeless New Yorkers and residents in public housing as we prepare for another plunge into subzero windchill temperatures this weekend.
This weekend’s frigid forecast has New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani preparing for outreach once again, getting people in need off the street to warm shelter and getting NYCHA residents what they need with urgency.
The mayor acknowledged NYCHA has seen its fair share of problems with heat, and Con Edison issues are making matters worse.
More: Latest News from Around the Tri-State
Queens is one example, where heat and hot water have been off and on for the 720 units at the Beach 40th St. houses in Far Rockaway. Meanwhile, in Boerum Hill, Con Edison turned off the heat for thousands.
Mayor Mamdani first addressed the long-term solution by installing state-of-the-art heat pumps over the next few years.
However, in the meantime, a 17th person has been found dead outside; the majority of those deaths are from hypothermia.
“These are dangerous, life-threatening conditions, and as long as temperatures remain this low, the risk of fatal exposure endures,” said Mamdani during a briefing on Wednesday.
“I think we are continuing to explore every avenue that we have to keep New Yorkers warm, and that means to ensuring that we are taking on any heat outages, whether they be at NYCHA properties or any property across the city, because we also know that there are a number of Con Ed outages over these past few days. And then beyond that, to ensure that we have warming buses, that we have warming centers, that we have safe haven sites, shelters not only that are available, but also that we are having outreach teams do the direct outreach to connect homeless New Yorkers with.”
The New York City Council is planning to hold hearings on the city’s response to the snowstorm and the freezing temperatures next Tuesday, leading to a better plan for code blue operations. \
Mamdani said with freezing temperatures continuing, mass transit has also been an issue, but that hes working with the state to keep transportation running for New Yorkers. The cold is not leaving and urgency is key, the mayor says.
Copyright 2026 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to PIX11.