WOODHAVEN, Queens — Multiple school buses became stuck in the snow Monday as they tried to traverse snowy streets in Queens, the borough hardest hit by the weekend’s blizzard.
Residents were furious over unplowed streets and the mayor’s move to keep schools open despite the record-breaking storm.
“We make one decision for a school system of 1.1 million kids,” Mayor Bill de Blasio said, defending the move to keep class in session, during a midday news conference.
PIX11 News viewers in Middle Village and Woodhaven reported seeing school buses getting bogged down in the slushy mess that still coated the roadways during the morning commute.
Requests for comment from the city’s Department of Education were not returned by the time of publication.
In Middle Village, a resident who identified herself as Laura S. said the bus became stuck on 74th Street about 6:30 a.m. and students were taken off the bus at 9:30 a.m.
In Woodhaven, a school bus and a van were seen struggling to trek through the snow, resident Paul Kirch said.
The weekend blizzard was the second-hardest to hit the city in recorded history, dumping almost 3 feet of snow in parts of the five boroughs. Queens was especially pounded and snow fell at a rate that the plows couldn’t keep up with, about 3 inches per hour. Some 30 inches of powder fell at Kennedy Airport, according to the National Weather Service.
