Posted on 12/27/2022 12:21:12 PM PST by jimjohn
A quick update from my drive into the city of Buffalo New York…
12/27/2022 - approx 12:00 - 2:30 pm
As most areas north of the city are back open, there is still a travel ban in the city of Buffalo. So I headed south to deliver needed supplies to my son. He is about ½ mile from a supermarket that is currently unreachable from his residence. Their cars are blocked by snow.
Yes, there is a travel ban in the city, but cars are moving everywhere, but very slowly. I passed one of Buffalo’s finest traveling in the opposite direction, one directing traffic and an intersection, and one working with civilians helping to get an SUV unstuck from a snowbank.
First, about the looting: Since I was forced off the closed interstate (190) to the surface streets, I ended up on Niagara Street heading downtown into the city. This means I passed through the Riverside area.
(For Google Fans, this street runs north/south along the Niagara River (St. Rt. 266) from about the Tonawanda GM plant to downtown Buffalo – a street hit hard by the gale force winds from Lake Erie, and waves from the Niagara River.
Now, for those of you who know this area, if there was going to be looting anywhere in this city, it would have been rampant in this ‘high crime area’. I saw no (REPEAT – NO) evidence of looting anywhere on Niagara or her side streets . What I did see was shovels – lots of them. Folks from all colors, sexes and ages (most wearing Buffalo Bills gear) doing their best to clear one of the major north-south thoroughfares in town by hand and clearing stuck cars. I did see a few pickups with blades on some of the side streets.
A word about that: From what we are hearing locally, said looting was only occurring in one area of town. Reported on social media, then gone viral as if the whole city is being ransacked. It is not. We did hear a southern suburb (Lackawanna) was pacified by men of middle-east descent responding to oxygen thieving thugs with high-speed projectiles causing them to find religion – at least for a few minutes. Thus, there have been no other reports from that area.
It’s pretty stupid, actually. Between security cameras, leaving footprints in the snow, and the fact that the roads are all blocked means the suspect(s) are probably within walking distance of their targets, thereby will not be hard to track down.
The mounds of snow are (to say the least) EPIC; especially on side streets. I have the blessing of 4-wheel, else I probably would have not made it to meet my son on the side street. On the way back, Interstate 190 northbound was reopened, so driving back was not a problem.
Per the new reports, I expected complete chaos. I saw none of that on Niagara Street from about 12:00 noon until 2:30 pm. In fact, part of me wanted to get out and help folks shovel and move cars. Why?
Because this is Buffalo, and this is what we do.
The temps are expected to rise, meaning we'll be dealing with flooding next. Bring it on.
Reporting from Niagara County (just north of Buffalo) - J. Johnson
Many of us always said that playing the pro bowl should determine the place the super bowl is played.
If the AFC wins in the pro bowl, then the super bowl is played in the home field of the AFC team. If NFC, then the field of the NFC.
No matter if it is in a cold, snowy, or warm place.
I have come to the conclusion that dividing us is the only mission the corporate media engages in now.
It provides nothing that is useful to me.
There is a Youtube guy that drive a snow plow that stays live on YT from Buffalo:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jp_DZ1eC0nw
Why was the National Guard not deployed?
You wrote:
Other than the extreme cold, why is this storm so much worse than the 6 feet of snow you guys got last month?
As mentioned in a previous post (class is in session, folks):
When you hear about bad snow storms in the Buffalo Area, they are generally referring area from the Buffalo River south to the PA state line.
(that river cuts off the lower third of the city)
The ‘Southtowns’, as they are called usually get the brunt of it due to what is known as ‘Lake Effect’. Buffalo generally gets a taste of it. If you follow football, The Bills stadium in Orchard Park is usually in the direct line of fire from Lake Erie. That’s when most of nation hears about big snow. Areas south are known as ‘Ski Country’
If you look at a map of Buffalo, those spokes of streets coming out of downtown were probably designed to tell us where the snow cutoff lines happen during big storms. I remember being at the corner of Fillmore and Genesee pointed south where there was no snow where I was, but about 3 feet and climbing across the street. Buffalonians have many stories like these.
In this case, that line went further north, where even us Niagara County folks got a taste of it. The high winds and the flash freeze prior only made things worse. when a “Snowmageddon” happens in the city itself, it cuts through all those narrow streets drawn up from the early 19th century, burying cars (and people) in their tracks.
This is not my first go round with these events. And God willing, won’t be my last. But there are lessons from this storm I will cover later.
But with the temps slated to rise this week, we expect some flooding, but we’ll have all the snow cleared by game time Monday night :-).
[That is also a direct slap to folks who get there news about Buffalo from a shopping market tabloid in London, UK]
The SB is a high profile entertainment event for wealthy people who like to see and be seen, not for fans of the teams. That’s why it’s located where it’s located. Occasionally they’ll put it in a mediocre location (like Indianapolis or Minneapolis) to help sucker the taxpayers into paying for multi-billion dollar facilities.
Good Question.
And there an outpost here. But other than traffic control, you can’t plow what you can’t see. And that was the case on Christmas Eve.
There is/was the question about conflicting reports coming from the city/county/state. If you read between the lines on my initial post, you’ll see I mentioned a city traffic band that I drove straight through, passing Buffalo’s finest while in route.
Yet at the same time, there are folks in the Erie County websites complaining about they can’t get diapers for their young because of the driving band. There were plenty of people in downtown driving or walking to the Tops supermarket on Niagara Street - if they could get off their own side street.
back in 1977, the City of Toronto sent snow melter trucks in to help. But the cold snap lasted longer than is expected in this one.
The highways are already cleared - some just not opened yet.
Thank you.
Clarification:
By ‘highways’, I meant interstate highways.
Spoilsport.
just kidding - thanks for your report.
My daughter and her four young children (ages 1-5) took a train to Buffalo a few days before these latest storms rolled in. They fled a domestic violence situation out of state and are hunkered down there now. Safe, happy, and warm, albeit heartbroken over the necessary separation. My heart is weary, too. Wife went along with them to be grown up company, so it’s been a holiday season to remember. 36th wedding anniversary today. As a life long Packers fan, I would not be disheartened over a Bills champion year. Buffalo is a great town, but not without its urban problems.
The lake effect snow tends to come off the lake in a relatively narrow band. The big storm a month ago had a band that was only about twenty miles wide. Along the lake shore from Hamburg down to Fredonia. Hoakes restaurant in Hamburg right on the lake has been shown many times recently covered in wind blown ice.
Generally the heavy snow does not hit the city of Buffalo. It is even more rare to get heavy snow in Niagara Falls.
Lake effect snow is not just a WNY exclusive. The Tugg Hill Plateau on the eastern end of Lake Ontario is by far one of the snowiest places in the lowers 48. Syracuse on average gets a lot more snow than Buffalo. Oswego is even worse. Especially for high winds coming off the lake.
Stay safe, FRiend.
God keep you
Glad you got to your son, our son stuck om Richmond that was crammed with cars and snow.
There was one or two times that it got so cold the Falls actually froze. I thought it was in my lifetime, but per the all-knowing Internet, it was before that.
Congrats
Yeah, Major.
Was in that same area. those interior roads and TOFU. Unlike were you and I live, not enough pickups with blades in those areas (whatever happening to park on the same side of the road s on snow days?)
I gotta good glimpse of Vulcan, Ontario, Hertel & Amherst. All the same - hosed down to one lane. Niagara was only 2 close lanes (this is normally a 4 lane major street, folks). Cop was helping move an SUV near hertel, one directing traffic near a dead traffic light, and folks moving cars by hand at Tonawanda street.
Google put me back on the highway just past the Peace Bridge, so I didn’t see the rest of Niagara.
Thanks jimjohn, citizen journalist.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.