As New Yorkers continue to struggle in the aftermath of Sunday's blizzard, Mayor Michael Bloomberg said Tuesday that it will take at least another day before plows reach all of the city's 6,000 miles of pavement.

He is also asking New Yorkers to donate to local blood banks.

The mayor said "it's a bad situation" as New Yorkers are still digging out after nearly two feet of snow that fell Sunday, during what was the sixth-largest snow storm in city history.

The accumulation, in conjunction with high winds, have resulted in snow drifts of up to three to five feet in some areas, and the mayor said southern Brooklyn was one of the worst-hit areas.

Residents continue to face transit delays throughout the five boroughs.

Alternate side parking and meter rules remain suspended.

Bloomberg said the problem has been made worse, in part, by abandoned cars in the streets. About 1,000 vehicles have been removed from the Van Wyck, Gowanus and Cross Bronx Expressways alone, according to the mayor.

The mayor said the city’s first challenge right now is removing stuck ambulances and abandoned cars and buses. To that end, the city is offering money to private companies that can provide tow trucks.

While he cited progress removing vehicles and clearing the backlog of emergency calls, the mayor said it will be another 24 hours before the plows get to every street, and even that is no guarantee.

“People didn’t listen and leave their cars at home. I know if you live in a place where you don’t have mass transit, it’s not easy to do that. But this storm showed that when you go out on this kind of weather, chances are you’re going to get stuck in the side streets and have to leave your car,” said Bloomberg.

“The biggest problem's we're not getting the tow trucks we need. We hired equipment, which we normally do. They’re not coming in,” said Department of Sanitation Commissioner John Doherty. “We have cars in there, we have to dig them out. We can’t get through the street, and that’s what’s impeding the whole operation in many ways.”

During an exclusive interview with NY1 later in the day, Doherty admitted that the massive blizzard that swept across the city got ahead of the department and that he was forced to use workers who had less training than usual.

"They only went to school for two weeks, they usually would go for a month,” Doherty said. "I put them out there on Sunday I said ‘You’re out on the street. They said: ‘We’ve only had a couple days of driving.’ ‘ I want you in the truck with a seasoned guy, You’re going to learn on the job, real time, real conditions, get the job done.'"

New Yorkers are urged not to shovel snow back into streets that have been plowed.

Around the city a number of streets remain unplowed, and viewer pictures show that the cleanup in some Brooklyn and Queens streets has been nonexistent.

City Council Speaker Christine Quinn said in a statement Tuesday that the city's snow-clearing efforts are "unacceptable" and said the Council will hold hearings starting on January 10.

Queens City Councilman Peter Vallone Jr. in particular said the hearings would be necessary.

“This is a very dangerous situation. The emergency vehicles can't get through. God forbid somebody has a heart attack while they're shoveling or something like that. Our hospitals are short-staffed, the buses have been stuck. A snow plow crashed on my block yesterday," said Vallone.

In some spots of the city, commuters also have been forced to walk in main roads, as many side streets and sidewalks remain unplowed.

At one point Monday, the New York City Fire Department had a backlog of 1,300 less-urgent requests due to the volume of calls and impassable roads. Officials are urging New Yorkers to only call 911 for an emergency.

Also during his press conference, the mayor said the city will most likely cover the damages to a vehicle that was hit by a snow plow during Monday's blizzard cleanup in Brooklyn Heights. The incident, which was caught on tape, was shot from the window of a nearby apartment building and posted on YouTube.

Meanwhile, the mayor urged New Yorkers to donate blood, after the blizzard led to a drop in donations.

The New York Blood Center says it has just a two-day supply of the most needed type of blood, O-negative.

To find out how to donate, call the New York Blood Center at 1-800-933-2566 or visit NYBloodCenter.org.

Transit Delays Continue

As of Wednesday morning, the city's subway and bus system were still reporting varying degrees of operation.

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority says riders should be prepared for possible delays.

The Q train is not running between the Astoria-Ditmars Boulevard Station in Queens and the Coney Island-Stillwell Avenue Station in Brooklyn in both directions.

The N train is not running between the Coney Island-Stillwell Avenue Station in Brooklyn and the Whitehall Street Station in Manhattan in both directions.

There is also no B train service between Bedford Park Boulevard Station in the Bronx and the Brighton Beach Station in Brooklyn.

The Staten Island Ferry is on schedule, while the Staten Island Railway has limited service.

Metro-North will operate on a weekday schedule on the Hudson, Harlem, and New Haven lines on Wednesday.

Long Island Rail Road officials say there are delays up to 10 minutes systemwide.

New Jersey Transit service in and out of Pennsylvania Station has been restored, and New Jersey Transit's bus service resumed early Tuesday morning.

NJ Transit officials say they will return to a normal weekday schedule for the rail, bus, and light rail lines Wednesday.

They will also continue to cross-honor tickets, allowing riders to use their tickets or passes for rail, bus, or light rail travel at no additional charge.

For current information about the city's mass transit, visit mta.info.

John F. Kennedy, LaGuardia and Newark airports have reopened after all three facilities were closed to all air traffic on Sunday. There are, however, massive delays reported at all three facilities.

Four international flights were stranded on JFK's tarmac for hours, according to the Port Authority.

JFK also is storing about 10,000 pieces of luggage, as not enough baggage handlers from a private contractor reported to work today.

The AirTrain service to JFK has been suspended and free shuttle bus service is being provided from all Terminals, Howard Beach and Jamaica Stations.

About 4,500 flights were canceled Sunday and Monday, according to Port Authority, and it may be days before all stranded passengers can book new flights.

Meanwhile, JetBlue warns more cancellations at JFK are possible, because of the weather.

All incoming and outgoing flights after 8 p.m. Tuesday were cancelled.

The airline says it will waive fees for travelers flying in and out of New York Wednesday.

Travelers can also rebook up until January 14.

For more information, call 1-800-JETBLUE.

Amtrak will resume normal service on its Northeast Corridor service between Boston, New York and Washington, D.C. on Wednesday.

The storm also left hundreds of New Yorkers in the dark. Con Ed officials said that extra overhead line crews were out working in the affected areas.

Most branches of the New York Public Library are open, but check nypl.org for details on closures.

The city Department of Health is reminding New Yorkers to avoid carbon monoxide poisoning by clearing snow from exhaust pipes before starting car engines. They also say residents should avoid running cars in enclosed spaces, and to clear snow from the vents of combustion appliances.

Additionally, residents should never heat their home with a stove or oven. Also, never use kerosene or oil-burning heaters indoors.

Later this week, sunny conditions are expected to return. Temperatures will stay in the 40s through Tuesday.

Blizzard Photo Gallery