LOL - I gotta remember that quote!
Mayor Bloomberg..
New York City’s emergency system was “overwhelmed” by the blizzard that dumped 20 inches of snow, leaving vehicles marooned and ambulances unable to reach the sick, injured and dying, Bloomberg said.
“You can give us any grade you want,” Bloomberg told reporters at a press conference at a Bronx hardware store today. “We did not do as good a job as we wanted to do, or as the city has the right to expect.”
“I am extremely dissatisfied with the way our emergency- response systems performed,” Bloomberg said. “In some cases it took hours to respond to serious requests.”
Dead Baby
A woman who gave birth in a Brooklyn apartment building waited 90 minutes for an ambulance to reach her. When it did, the newborn baby was dead, according to Frank Dwyer, a Fire Department spokesman.
In Queens, Yvonne Freeman, 75, died when she had difficulty breathing and her daughter, Laura, couldn’t reach a 911 operator.
the large number of stuck cars, trucks and buses, which made street-clearing more difficult, he said. More than 600 buses were stalled in snow yesterday, Bloomberg said.
The post- Christmas storm led to the cancellation of almost 8,000 flights.
City Council President Christine Quinn, a political ally of the mayor, “The collective storm response was not anywhere near up to the standards New Yorkers are accustomed to,” Quinn said in a statement. “This is unacceptable. New Yorkers have serious questions about the city’s snow emergency policy and response.”
The Daily News headlined its coverage of the mayor’s response today: “Bloomberg to City: Snow Sorry.”
“Tough times mean tough budget cuts result in a reduced labor force, ... With reduced budgets and reduced funding, he’s doing the best he can.”