NEW YORK CITY — Mayor Michael Bloomberg is urging New Yorkers still without heat after Hurricane Sandy to head to a warm place “immediately" as temperatures plunge.
Temperatures are expected to drop into the 20s this weekend, putting residents who are still without heat at risk of serious hypothermia, officials said.
“As temperatures drop, those living without heat face serious health problems and even death,” Bloomberg said in a statement Thursday afternoon.
“Don’t take any chances with your life, or with your family's lives. Get somewhere warm and safe now," he said, urging those who cannot stay with friends or relatives to go to a "restoration center" or call 311 for help.
311 will be directing residents with nowhere to go to hotels, not to shelters, a spokeswoman for the mayor said.
To assist in the efforts, city officials said staffers and the National Guard have been going door-to-door to give out information about the dangers and how to find a warm place to stay.
Health Commissioner Thomas Farley warned that, in addition to hypothermia, prolonged exposure to frigid temperatures can exacerbate other medical problems and can be especially dangerous for infants and the elderly.
“Hypothermia is called a ‘silent killer’ because the symptoms are not always obvious,” he said in a statement. "With temperatures expected to drop this weekend and stay low, there is no time to waste. If you do not have heat, get to a warm place immediately.”
Temperatures are expected to plunge as low as 29 degrees this weekend, according to the National Weather Service.
The following restoration centers will be open Monday through Saturday. They are not open Sunday.
Red Hook
Hours: 8 a.m. - 6 p.m.
Coffey Park
85 Richards Street
Brooklyn, 11231
Coney Island
Hours: 8 a.m. - 6 p.m.
MCU Park
1904 Surf Avenue
Brooklyn, 112224
Gravesend
Hours: 8 a.m. - 6 p.m.
SSA Building
10 Bouck Ct.
Brooklyn, 11223
Fort Tilden
Hours: 8 a.m. - 6 p.m.
415 State Road (across from St. Genevieve's Church) Queens, 11697
Far Rockaway
Hours: 8 a.m. - 8 p.m.
10-01 Beach 20th St.
Queens, 11691
Arverne
Hours: 8 a.m. - 8 p.m.
Shorefront B and C
68-20 Rockaway Beach Boulevard
Queens, 11692
Staten Island
Hours: 8 a.m. - 6 p.m.
1976 Hylan Boulevard