A woman poses for a picture while snow falls in Times Square on Saturday. Picture: AFP/Kena Betancur
AS AN Aussie living in New York, one who has been here just a few short weeks, the blizzard was a terrifying, but oddly exciting experience.
Arriving from sunny Sydney in the new year, armed with all the hot tips on where to go for the warmest jackets and waterproof boots, I knew I was in for a shock. But a record-breaking snowstorm in my very first month? People who have been here for decades tell me they haven’t lived through anything quite like what the Big Apple was hit with over the weekend.
At first, being a part of what New Yorkers were referring to as the “worst snowstorm we’ve ever seen” and “the snowiest single day” in the city’s history, seemed like every Aussie expat’s dream. I even overheard one woman in passing say, “What a time to be alive!”
NYPD cars covered in snow. Picture: AFP/Kena BetancurSource:AFP
But, by midnight on Friday night, the time that meteorologists warned heavy snow would begin to fall and NYC mayor Bill de Blasio begged all residents to be indoors, it started to feel real. The temperature had dropped to -5C and the roads were already covered in a thick layer of snow.
At that time I was, in typical careless Aussie fashion, still out after a boozy catch-up with some friends. We started frolicking in the snow that had fallen during dinner, mucking around like teenagers (one of my mates MAY have drawn a penis on a parked car’s window) while everyone else was fleeing East Village.
The popular neighbourhood had been bursting with revellers just a few hours earlier, but suddenly it appeared we were the only idiots tempting fate. Everyone else knew better than to try their luck getting a cab past midnight in the middle of a snowstorm. “Get home,” I instructed my mildly intoxicated self.
By Saturday, the once clear view of Manhattan from our 24th floor studio apartment was completely obstructed, even the Empire State building was a blur against the all-white backdrop raging outside.
Turning on the news, I heard there had already been several fatalities overnight, government officials were planning a total shutdown of America’s largest city, including the above-ground subway service and buses. Anyone caught driving on the road after 2pm would be subject to arrest. New York state governor Andrew Cuomo had even declared a state of emergency, something I had never witnessed before.
A snowplow clears the roadway on Lexington Avenue. Picture: AFP/Francois Xavier MaritSource:AFP
There was chaos on the streets by this stage, with residents scrambling to the supermarket to stock up on food supplies. All across the city, restaurants and cafes were shutting up shop, and the few that were still open had a line out the door of frantic customers who had left their run too late. Myself included. I panicked and bought seven bagels of varying flavours, then hurried home. This was a struggle in itself, the pavement was covered in ice and dangerously slippery. I even saw one unlucky woman lose her footing and take a dive.
By 3pm, mid-town Manhattan was eerily calm. The few still brave enough to be outside were walking along completely emptied streets. It was the quietest my new home had been in three weeks since my, only the sound of sirens blaring down below. Colleagues later reassured me it was the first time they had ever heard New York City referred to as “ghost town” by news outlets. I believe them.
A man makes his way through New York City as the deadly blizzard wallops the eastern US. Picture: AFP/Jewel SamadSource:AFP
At 4.30pm it was almost dark and the snow was still falling thick and fast. I’d read on social media that a few bars and pubs were staying open, but even a journey five blocks downtown to one of them seemed dangerous. Bagels and Netflix it was.
By Sunday morning it seemed we were through the worst of it. The blizzard had ended and the travel ban was lifted about 7am. Residents ventured outdoors to start digging, a feat that was predicted to last days. Train networks were still crippled, the roads were treacherous and thousands of flights had been cancelled.
Stepping outside, the streets were almost unrecognisable. More than 90cm of snow had been dropped on New York, burying cars and trees, blocking sidewalks and covering the roads in slush.
A woman walks on a pile of snow at Times Square in New York on Monday. Picture: AFP/Jewel SamadSource:AFP
The worst of Winter Storm Jonas, New York City’s second biggest snowstorm on record, was over and you could almost hear the city sigh with relief.
But it’s not over yet for New Yorker’s and the millions of residents across the east coast affected by the blizzard. A lengthy clean-up remains while commuters battle to get to work and plenty of schools are still closed.
By Monday, the death toll stood at 40 nationwide. A devastating outcome, and for me, certainly not an experience I’ll forget in this lifetime.
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