New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo braved the blizzard that hit the East Coast on Saturday to go out with a crew assisting drivers who are out on the roads in the snow.
Earlier in the day, he had announced a travel ban for New York City and Long Island roads starting at 2 p.m. MetroNorth trains and the Long Island Railroad are closing, New Jersey Transit trains have already stopped running, and the New York City subway will run on limited service. Subway lines that run above ground are being shut down.
A blizzard was expected to dump about a foot of snow on the city, but the storm (called "Jonas") has ended up being worse than expected.
Cuomo's office released photos of him going out on the roads. Politico's Albany bureau chief noted on Twitter that Cuomo used to work as a tow truck driver:
.@NYGovCuomo's ofc just sent pics of the gov, who in law school worked driving a tow truck, helping a stranded car. pic.twitter.com/a9xs69QSP7
- Jimmy Vielkind (@JimmyVielkind) January 23, 2016
That's right, folks. The governor of New York is right now prowling our snow-covered highways, ready to tow your car. Eat that, @CoryBooker.
- Jimmy Vielkind (@JimmyVielkind) January 23, 2016
And the governor's Twitter account also posted the pictures on Flickr:
Flickr
Flickr
Flickr
Emergency personnel are prepared for helping others stranded in the storm:
State Operations Director @jimmalatras briefs @NYSDHSES emergency personnel #NYResponds #Blizzard2016 pic.twitter.com/vZQlyk7Cxn
- Andrew Cuomo (@NYGovCuomo) January 23, 2016
The travel ban will be in effect until at least midnight, officials said Saturday afternoon.