New York City is ramping up security ahead of the July 4 Independence Day celebrations and America's 250th anniversary events. Mayor Zohran Mamdani and NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch announced an extensive security operation covering the city's waterfronts, fireworks displays, Tall Ships parade, FIFA World Cup events, and Madison Square Garden.
Hundreds of thousands of visitors are expected across New York, with increased police deployments, security screenings, drone restrictions, and strict entry rules. Authorities say there are currently no credible threats but remain on heightened alert as multiple major events take place across the city.
Watch the full report on NYC's Independence Day security plan, NYPD preparations, drone interceptions, and what visitors need to know before attending the celebrations.
#NYC #July4 #IndependenceDay #NYPD #NewYork #NYCSecurity #TallShips #Fireworks #FIFAWorldCup #MadisonSquareGarden #BreakingNews #America250 #FourthOfJuly #WorldCup2026 #USNews #NewYorkCity #SecurityAlert #NYCEvents #DroneBan #July4Celebration
Hundreds of thousands of visitors are expected across New York, with increased police deployments, security screenings, drone restrictions, and strict entry rules. Authorities say there are currently no credible threats but remain on heightened alert as multiple major events take place across the city.
Watch the full report on NYC's Independence Day security plan, NYPD preparations, drone interceptions, and what visitors need to know before attending the celebrations.
#NYC #July4 #IndependenceDay #NYPD #NewYork #NYCSecurity #TallShips #Fireworks #FIFAWorldCup #MadisonSquareGarden #BreakingNews #America250 #FourthOfJuly #WorldCup2026 #USNews #NewYorkCity #SecurityAlert #NYCEvents #DroneBan #July4Celebration
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NewsTranscript
00:00Good afternoon. I want to thank Commissioner Farrell and other leaders of our administration for joining me as we prepare
00:07for the extreme heat wave that we are expecting this week.
00:10Beginning tomorrow, New York City will enter a heat emergency that will last through the 4th of July weekend.
00:18Temperatures will climb into the high 90s and triple digits.
00:22With humidity, it will feel even hotter, with a heat index that could peak around 112 degrees.
00:28If the forecast holds, this could be the hottest 4th of July since 2010.
00:34These are extremely dangerous conditions, and they will affect every part of our city.
00:40To prepare, I have activated the city's heat emergency plan.
00:44Since last week, our city agencies have been proactively coordinating to keep New Yorkers and tourists safe.
00:51We will also issue targeted alerts through our city's advanced warning system to protect our most vulnerable neighbors.
00:58Like older New Yorkers and those with chronic illnesses.
01:02Beginning tomorrow, the city will open hundreds of cooling centers across the five boroughs.
01:07Including locations at the Javits Center, our schools, a number of library branches, and right here at NYSOM headquarters.
01:14Visit nyc.gov slash beattheheat for a map of cooling centers, including accessible and pet-friendly options.
01:21And for more information on how to stay safe.
01:24Our plan also includes several first-of-their-kind measures to protect our most vulnerable New Yorkers.
01:30We are activating more than 2,200 Link NYC kiosks to display real-time directions to the nearest NYC cooling
01:38center within a 10-minute walk.
01:41We are also launching a fleet of 15 never-before-used cooling outreach on-location vans.
01:47These vehicles, known as cool vans, are operated by New York City Health and Hospitals.
01:52And we will be open to any New Yorker who needs medical care, resources like water and electrolytes,
01:57meals including vegetarian, kosher, and halal options, and transport to cooling centers.
02:02They will be staffed by medical providers who will also be checking in on older adults in their homes to
02:08provide them with relief from the heat.
02:10As we activate a code red tomorrow, we are intensifying our street canvas and outreach efforts from noon up until
02:188 p.m.
02:19A total of 600 outreach workers will reach out to New Yorkers in need.
02:23Shelters are available system-wide for anyone who is homeless.
02:28Walk-ins are welcome.
02:29And with conditions this dangerous, I am asking every New Yorker to make a heat plan before the worst of
02:35it arrives.
02:35The single most important thing you can do in these temperatures is to stay indoors with air conditioning.
02:41If you can't avoid going outside during the hottest hours of the day, please do so.
02:46Start figuring out your work and child care arrangements and know where you will go to stay cool.
02:51A few minutes of planning now could help your family stay safe later.
02:56Once you have your heat plan, check in on your neighbors, especially seniors, to make sure that they have one
03:02too.
03:02And if you see someone outside and vulnerable to this heat, call 311 and an outreach team will be sent
03:08to help.
03:09I'm also asking every employer to plan ahead with their teams, build in flexibility, and make sure that no one
03:16is put at risk doing their jobs this week.
03:19City government will contact 75,000 licensees to encourage heat illness plans, reiterate labor laws, and remind workers that they
03:28are entitled to protected time off for heat-related health issues.
03:33Our Department of Health and Mental Hygiene is also partnering with community-based organizations to expand pop-up cooling stations
03:40for outdoor workers, including street vendors, delivery workers, and day laborers.
03:46Last week, I signed an executive order focused on protecting workers from the hazards of heat.
03:51Our administration is hard at work developing guidelines that will keep workers safe.
03:56While we finalize these guidelines, I want to urge all employers in New York City to develop those plans to
04:02protect your employees.
04:03It is not enough to say that they can take breaks when their paycheck is on the line.
04:07Workers cannot cool down when they have quotas to meet.
04:10They cannot go into a cooling center when they are on the clock.
04:13Please make a point of ensuring that your employees know their rights and that they will not face consequences for
04:20staying safe.
04:21And to every business owner, please set your thermostats to 78 degrees to alleviate the stress on our power grid.
04:28Every worker in New York City has the right to a safe workplace, and that includes safety in extreme heat.
04:33For New Yorkers looking for other ways to stay cool, our Parks Department offers hundreds of spray showers and thousands
04:39of drinking fountains across the five boroughs.
04:42They also maintain about 50 free outdoor swimming pools with general hours of operation between 11 a.m. and 7
04:49p.m.
04:50And during the heat emergency, Olympic and intermediate-sized pools will be open until 8 p.m.
04:55To find one near you, go to nycgovparks.org slash facilities.
05:00Our 14 miles of public beaches will also remain open during this heat wave, with lifeguards on duty between 10
05:06a.m. and 6 p.m.
05:07And for those who want to keep cool with a fire hydrant, anyone 18 or older can obtain a free,
05:13city-approved fire hydrant spray cap from their local firehouse.
05:17However you plan to spend these next few days, the best way to stay up to date is by signing
05:22up for Notify NYC.
05:24All you have to do is to text NOTIFYNYC to 692-692.
05:29Finally, we know that these temperatures are arriving during what should be a week of celebration, gathering, and outdoor fun.
05:36New York City is welcoming the world this week with World Cup matches, Fourth of July events, and Sailforth 250
05:42commemorations.
05:43City agencies are currently coordinating here today at the Emergency Operations Center for the World Cup match,
05:48and no one is better prepared to handle complicated events and dangerous weather.
05:52Together, we will continue managing the heat, this month's celebrations, and whatever comes our way.
05:58We also want to ask New Yorkers to look out for tourists who may not be used to this heat.
06:03Help someone looking for a water fountain.
06:05Bring someone you may see struggling into the shade.
06:08And yes, share your sunscreen.
06:10And if you or someone you know has hot, dry skin, trouble breathing, rapid heartbeat, confusion, disorientation, dizziness, nausea, or
06:18are vomiting,
06:19do not hesitate.
06:20Call 911 immediately.
06:22Our city has faced heat like this before, and each time we have gotten through it by looking out for
06:28one another.
06:29This weekend will be no different.
06:31Make a plan, stay hydrated, and check on your neighbors.
06:35The two questions.
06:37The first is, what protections do people have?
06:39I know you signed an executive order a few weeks ago, Mayor Momdani,
06:42but for UPS drivers, Amazon drivers, what recourse do they have if they don't have air-conditioned trucks
06:48or are not provided water?
06:50And during this heat wave, will evictions be halted?
06:53And then another question is, I ask this for every heat wave, and I understand there's staffing issues, and there's
06:58worker protection issues.
06:59But what can be done to extend lifeguard hours on city beaches?
07:04Because people still go in the water and swim, but there are no lifeguards there at their chairs to protect
07:09people.
07:09So is there anything, whether it's shift or anything that can be done?
07:12So I appreciate the question, and I also appreciate the focus.
07:17You know, we have been in conversations with our partners in labor.
07:21I think one of the key things I do want to highlight is that our lifeguards are out there for
07:27hours in this intense heat,
07:30and they are doing so while providing what are oftentimes life-saving services to New Yorkers.
07:35And so we are also looking to negotiate their safety as well as that of New Yorkers at large.
07:42At this time, as I shared earlier, it is still the standard hours.
07:46However, we had made an extension at our city pools, and some of that also comes as a reflection of
07:52the unique challenges when it comes to our beaches.
07:54And then the first question that you asked, we are doing something which city government has not done before,
08:01which is that we are reaching out to more than 70,000 licensees of both DCWP and DOHMH,
08:09reminding them of their obligations under labor law and also encouraging them to put forward plans to deal with heat
08:17-related illness
08:18as well as guidance for their employees.
08:19The executive order that I signed a few days ago or a week ago, to be honest with you,
08:25I'm not sure what time is at this moment.
08:27Thank you. Thank you very much, Katie.
08:30That is one that spoke about us promulgating rules over a period of time.
08:34That is obviously continuing, but the heat is not waiting for anyone.
08:37I'm going to just call up our DCWP Commissioner, Levine, to add some additional details.
08:44Thanks very much, Mayor.
08:45And as the Mayor alluded to, we will be sending notices to all of our 45,000 licensees.
08:52DOHMH is also sending notices to its licensees, reminding them, in addition to the obligations the Mayor referenced,
08:59that New York City's employees are entitled to protected time off.
09:02If you feel that your health is at risk, if you feel that your family's health is at risk,
09:07you have a right to take off time in New York City, stay home to take care of yourself,
09:12take care of your family, and as my colleagues alluded to, take care of your neighbors as well.
09:16We've got time for a few more.
09:19Hannah?
09:23Hi, Mayor.
09:24Hi, Hannah. How are you?
09:25I'm good, thank you.
09:26Could you confirm if your administration is planning to release data,
09:30if there are any heat-related deaths in real time, like you did during the cold snap?
09:35We will always look to be direct with New Yorkers about the dangers that they will face from this level
09:44of heat.
09:45Like, as I've said, we know that on an annual basis, we lose about 500 New Yorkers due to heat
09:50-related illness.
09:51However, we are speaking about conditions that go beyond that of an annual basis.
09:55We are speaking about what could be the hottest day in more than a decade,
09:58and we will continue to communicate with New Yorkers over the course of these next few days.
10:02Great.
10:03We've got time for just a couple more.
10:05Andrew, and then Catherine to end it.
10:06Thanks.
10:07Mayor, or any of those who are involved in these discussions, can you talk about the libraries as cooling centers?
10:12Brooklyn Library, for example, closed on Friday and Saturday and Sunday,
10:17and yet they're promoted as a primary cooling center.
10:20So what should folks know?
10:22Is there a push to get them open on those holidays?
10:25As you have mentioned, Andrew, we are speaking about not just the next few days but also a federal holiday
10:32coming up with July 4th,
10:34and we have worked with a number of libraries who will be open throughout the entirety of this period of
10:40heat.
10:41As was said earlier, the most intensive period of heat is tomorrow, Thursday, and Friday.
10:46It continues to be hot, but slightly less over the weekend.
10:49For New Yorkers who want to have the most up-to-date information of where each and every cooling center
10:54will be available,
10:54to go to nyc.gov slash beattheheat.
10:57Whether it's tomorrow or it's Saturday or it's Sunday, there will be more than 200 cooling centers available,
11:03and for the first time we are going to have not only these cooling centers in fixed physical locations,
11:08but also buses that will service cooling centers as well as vans that will transport people to cooling centers,
11:14and also, most importantly, checking in on older adults that anyone has called with concerns about.
11:20Great. And then, Catherine?
11:23Hi, Mr. Mayor.
11:24Two questions for you.
11:25The first one being, obviously, this is an extremely busy time in New York City with the World Cup and
11:314th of July.
11:32How much of that emphasis is being put on this safety plan?
11:37And then, sort of jumping off of this, it's slightly off topic,
11:40but multiple outlets are confirming that Taylor Swift's wedding is happening at MSG this Thursday and Friday.
11:47Anything you can share on that?
11:48And to that point, should New Yorkers be aware of street closures that we saw during the Knicks games
11:53and watch parties and those types of things?
11:56My recommendation to all New Yorkers is to stay inside and stay cool,
12:01and if you happen to be getting married at Madison Square Garden,
12:05you will be staying inside and you will be staying cool,
12:08and I think it's a good example to set for the city at large.
12:12When it comes to these temperatures are extraordinary temperatures.
12:18Yes, we are proud to be hosting World Cup matches.
12:21I think France and Sweden is kicking off shortly.
12:24And we are proud to have sail forth 250 as well as celebrate the 250th anniversary of our nation.
12:31And we also know that even if this were just any other year to be breaking into triple digits over
12:37the course of these many next days,
12:38it is of immense concern given that too often the heat is something that is underestimated.
12:44You know, we have heard from commissioners across a wide variety of city agencies and departments.
12:50We cannot emphasize enough how important it is to stay safe, how important it is to take this heat seriously.
12:56You know, many of us grew up watching commercials where they would tell us to stay thirsty, my friends.
13:01I think the recommendation for this weekend is to stay quenched.
13:04Drink as much water as you can.
13:06Put on as much sunscreen as you can find.
13:08This is a time to try and stay indoors as much as you can.
13:12And for those who want to be outside, we always want to do whatever we can to make sure that's
13:16safe,
13:16whether it's extending the hours at New York City swimming pools
13:19or it's ensuring that we are providing as much guidance as possible to get to a place with air conditioning.
13:24Great. Thanks, everybody.
13:25That's all the time we have for today.
13:26Thank you so much.
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