Mayor urges residents to stay off city streets, shelter in place during ferocious blizzard


Buffalo Mayor Byron W. Brown on Friday warned residents to stay off city streets and to continue sheltering in place during a ferocious blizzard that left many motorists stranded throughout the city.

Brown said the touted “once-in-a-generation” storm has delivered as predicted. 

“Right now, this winter storm is delivering everything that was forecast,” Brown during a Friday afternoon storm update on Zoom. “I am actually doing this briefing from home without power.”


Temperatures have begun to plummet. The rain has switched to snow. And the winds are beginning to roar across Buffalo.

The mayor said National Grid estimated that there are more than 20,000 homes and businesses in the city without power and that Buffalo is taking the brunt of the weather and outages in Erie County.

“National Grid has actually stopped responding to trying to energize power because of the dangerousness of the conditions,” Brown said.

People are also reading…

The mayor made an urgent appeal for people to stay off the roads because of the dangerous conditions created by the storm.

Snow is blown by the wind on Main Street in Buffalo on Friday, Dec. 23, 2022.

Derek Gee


“There is a driving ban. We’ve had a number of people that have gone out and driven that are stuck in different parts of the city who are clogging up our 911 system, calling because they are stuck in their vehicle,” Brown said.

“I have to say that that is not a high priority call at this time. Unfortunately, enough guidance, enough warnings were given for people not to drive their cars,” he added. 

Whiteout conditions that persisted throughout the day Friday are forecast to continue into Saturday, the mayor said.

“In some cases, with the blowing and drifting snow, visibility is at zero, and now that the sun has gone down and it is dark, it is extremely dangerous being a vehicle on the road,” said Brown.

Brown and Public Works Commissioner Nathan Marton said city plow drivers are focusing on clearing main arterials and some secondary roads during the early the part of the storm. He said there have been about 80 calls for downed trees, and anticipated that the city will lose several hundred trees by the time the storm is over. Brown said there have also been several calls for toppled poles and downed power lines, which also makes driving and even walking during the storm a dangerous endeavor.


'A ton of people stuck': Motorists stranded in blizzard all over Erie County

“There’s a ton of people stuck. There are stranded people off the road,” said Erie County Deputy Joe Reeves. In one car, deputies found a young mother with a newborn baby.

“We are monitoring our water quality very closely because there has been flooding. This is flooding at a number of our waterfront parks,” Brown said.

Despite that, he said, the city’s water quality continues to be good.

Brown said that Niagara Street at Tonawanda Street is closed because of flooding. He said power is out at the city’s two warming shelters, and that between 200 and 300 people are sheltering in the city’s code blue shelters. He said those who are in need of shelter during the storm should report to their nearest police or fire station.

“We would ask people to shelter in place, not to drive and violate the driving ban,” the mayor said. 

Snow blows along Delaware Avenue during a blizzard on Friday, Dec. 23, 2022.

Derek Gee


“And, if you lose power in your home, probably the safest place right now is to shelter at home, as opposed to go out and to try to find a shelter,” he added.


Click Here For This Articles Original Source.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *