The death toll from exposure in New York City has climbed to 18 during a brutal winter storm, including an 86-year-old man found unresponsive in the Bronx. Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced additional warming centers and buses to aid those without shelter. Critics highlight ongoing challenges in addressing the homelessness crisis as temperatures drop to dangerous lows.
Over the weekend, temperatures in New York City plummeted to as low as three degrees Fahrenheit, with wind chill making it feel like 15 degrees below zero. This harsh weather contributed to the death of 86-year-old Charles Williams, discovered unresponsive around 9 a.m. ET on Saturday on East Gun Hill Road and Seymour Avenue in the Bronx. Homeless shelter security worker Adam Faad, who found Williams, expressed regret, stating, “I feel bad because I’m on my way to help homeless people, and I find this guy, and I couldn’t help him,” according to the New York Post.
Mayor Zohran Mamdani confirmed the death during a press conference at the opening of the Shirley Chisholm Recreation Center in Brooklyn. “Each loss of a life is a tragedy. We will continue to hold their families in our thoughts,” Mamdani said. In response to the crisis, the city opened two new warming centers in Far Rockaway and Washington Heights and increased warming buses from 27 to 33. Mamdani emphasized, “What we’re doing at this time is doubling down on all of our efforts to connect any New Yorker who’s outside with shelter, with warmth, and with safety.”
Despite these measures, Mamdani faces criticism for not clearing homeless encampments during the storm, allowing many to remain on the streets. In December, he had stated, “If you are not connecting homeless New Yorkers to the housing that they so desperately need, then you cannot deem anything you’re doing to be a success.” Former mayoral candidate Curtis Sliwa, whose Guardian Angels organization has been volunteering on the streets, described the conditions as dire. “It has been sixteen days since the snow became ice and the brutally cold weather has set in. In these last two days, for the first time, I have come across homeless men and women without shoes,” Sliwa said. He called the situation “survival of the fittest,” noting instances of stronger individuals taking shoes from others, including a man on the subway missing half his foot. Sliwa added that he has seen no other outreach efforts in action.
New York City is enduring its coldest winter in over 20 years, with Sunday's temperatures reportedly colder than parts of Antarctica. Forecasters predict rising temperatures this week, signaling the end of the worst cold snap.
