New York City Council presses for answers about cold-weather deaths during extended Code Blue

Eighteen people have died during New York City's ongoing Code Blue emergency. 

There were many questions for the Mamdani administration at a City Council hearing Tuesday. Speaker Julie Menin and others grilled the leaders of NYC Emergency Management and the Department of Social Services for nearly six hours.

"A year that is outside the norm"

In an average year, 10-20 people die from hypothermia in New York City. Department of Social Services Commissioner Molly Park admitted seeing 18 deaths in less than a month is extraordinary. 

"It is certainly safe to say this is going to be a year that is outside the norm, which is tragic, and I feel that every day," Park said. 

"We believe 15 of the 18 are directly hypothermia related. Eight have already been confirmed, seven high likelihood that hypothermia played a role," Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Jason Graham said. 

"But is it humane to leave them outside?"

Park said her department and contractors involuntarily removed 33 people off the streets, adding that, too, is far more than usual. Several City Council members repeatedly asked how the city determines who it involuntarily removes, and the commissioners said it is individualized. 

"Are they exhibiting signs of mental illness, and are they a danger to themselves or others?" Park said. 

"But is it humane to leave them outside?" Menin asked. 

"This is a very challenging situation," Park said. "These are adults with agency and civil rights. So if somebody does not meet that that test that is codified in state law, we do not have the right to bring them inside." 

Mandatory psych evaluations?

Park added 1,400 people were placed into temporary shelter, and hundreds of beds were added. 

Both commissioners partly blamed the temperatures dropping sharply on a Friday during the first cold weekend for a possible lapse in communication. 

City Councilmember Joann Ariola called for mandatory psychiatric evaluations. 

"I think when it's Code Blue and anyone who wants to be outside, I think you have to understand some type of reason why. Whether it's mental incapacity or the fact that they're drug addicted, both of those diseases need to be treated," Ariola said.