The New York City Department of Investigation (DOI) issued a report yesterday ("Investigation into Allegations of Possible Slowdown by Department of Sanitation during Blizzard of December 2010") detailing its five-borough investigation. The DOI's findings and its recommendations have been referred to the Department of Sanitation (DSNY), the Kings County and Queens County District Attorney offices, and the office of the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York.
Some of the actions DOI said contributed to the bad situation were
- the number of cars on the road,
- the number of cars and buses stuck in the snow,
- the failure to declare a snow emergency,
- too few chains on DSNY vehicles,
- the premature issuing of an order to stop salting, and
- the magnitude of the blizzard.
Some of DOI's suggestions for coping with future snowstorms are
- installing security cameras with recording capabilities in more DSNY garages and facilities,
- using GPS to help locate disabled vehicles, send assistance, and help with clean-up during the blizzard,
- a review by DSNY of the strength of the chains used on vehicles and use of the proper number of chains, and
- allowing local supervisors to decide when salting is needed.