I apologize for not writing about this sooner. This is a very important story, and one that was mentioned in the national news, but not really given the coverage it deserved–then again, maybe its ok that Buffalo’s inaccurate reputation for snow and cold isn’t being perpetuated.
Western New Yorkers have recently experienced a different kind of “October surprise” than we’re used to talking about–a mid-October snowstorm. And for those not from the area, yes…this snow storm was early, even for Buffalo. It wasn’t so much the amount of snow, but the heavy, wet nature of the snow, coupled with the weight of the leaves still on the trees that made this Friday the 13th storm so devastating. As tree limbs broke, they fell on power lines, leaving well over 300,000 people without power. 13 people have died as a result of the storm–whether from traffic accidents, falling limbs, or carbon monoxide poisoning as a result of use of generators as power has been out in some areas for several days and will probably be out for several more.
I’m lucky enough to live in an area not affected by the storm–in fact, I only saw a few flakes around my house. But many people I know are still without power and the amount of damage around the area I work is quite astonishing. An article in today’s Buffalo News begins:
The National Guard arrived in Erie County Monday to help clear 30 million tons of debris from local streets as hundreds of thousands of people endured a fifth cold night without heat and electricity.
A total of 150 Guard members with dump trucks and high-lifts will assist in a cleanup that is rising in cost each day and will be financed, in part, by federal emergency disaster officials, who also arrived on the scene Monday.The overall price tag, by most accounts, is expected to climb into the hundreds of millions of dollars. Town of Tonawanda officials estimated the public-private cost to their town alone at $200 million.
Local officials also acknowledged for the first time that the cleanup could take months to complete.
“It’s massive, absolutely massive,” County Executive Joel A. Giambra said of debris piling up across the county. “The idea is to get it off the streets as soon as possible. That’s our priority right now.”
To help with the effort, Giambra asked Gov. George E. Pataki to call in the Air and Army National Guards to help with the removal of tree debris. About 80 Guard members arrived Monday and began removing debris from Buffalo’s northern suburbs. The rest are expected to begin work today.
Their arrival came just a day after Mayor Byron W. Brown said he saw no need for the Guard to help Buffalo at this point. On Monday, he backtracked and said he welcomed the Guard’s help.
“We understand now there are other communities in the northern suburbs that have more intense cleanup needs than we do,” Brown said. “So while we certainly will use National Guard assistance, we want to be mindful and cognizant of the needs of other communities.”
A reporter then asked Brown why he, as mayor, wasn’t fighting to get every available resource to help clear the city of debris?
“We’re fighting for everything. But we’re also working cooperatively,” he said. “This is a natural disaster that doesn’t only affect Buffalo. It affects our entire region.”
The region’s two major electric utilities - National Grid and New York State Electric & Gas - also made progress in restoring power to homes and businesses.
Nevertheless, more than 215,000 customers in Erie and Niagara counties spent another night without heat and electricity Monday.