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
Prayers up
Just a few blocks over from Niagara St., at Grant and Ferry, there was a good deal of looting. And despite all of the Cameras the police put there a few years back to deter the rampant prostitution and drug dealers there—they just moved to the side streets.
Just imagine, rich people, politicians, and movie stars having to see our snow blowers and shovels on display near the street as they drive by my small hardware store.
We didn't notice anyone puking as they drove by our obvious middle class existence, but of course we weren't watching because we were busy doing our jobs.
The wind was the key factor this time. It just made a very light snow blow into a white whirlwind. I have friends that live in Basom. There were multiple abandoned vehicles in and around the Rt. 77 and Judge Road (Rt. 63) area. And then talked with someone from Penfield and they got a dusting - Rochester was spared the snow but not the wind.
I don’t miss driving in whiteouts - it’s no fun. I can remember driving from Arcade back north to Corfu one winter - just awful driving in near whiteouts on Rt. 77.
Just heard from a friend who lives near Albion. The Albion Walmart lost power for 1 1/2 days. She went into the store and it was completely empty of frozen foods, dairy except for a small amount of milk that just came in, and a few meat products. They tossed an incredible amount of food out she was told due to the power outage.
just came back from Wegmans in Niagara Falls.
I’d say stock was at about 30%.
story we got was re-supply trucks haven’t been been able to get out of the warehouse
I wrote my doctoral thesis in the furnished attic of the Asbury-Dekaware Methodist Church parsonage on Argyle Place. right near where Bidwell Parkway crosses Elmwood Avenue. Soldier’s Circle was maybe two or three minute walk away from it. That was in the winter of 1972-73. There were some pretty snowy winters in those days.
Later on, I spent four years on the Niagara Front, living in the Lewiston-Youngstown vicinity and working at my company’s plant on Buffalo Avenue of Niagara Falls, 1980-84.
This year’s snowfall is pretty heavy, but will last only a few days to briefly interrupt normal winter activity. As you well know, metmom.
I used to live over there and I bet NOBODY touched LaNova on West Ferry..
Some “black leaders” were lamenting the looting on the east side, warning residents the stores wouldn’t re-open.
This reminds me of when Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans; many people never realized the poverty that existed there. I’ve been through Buffalo a few times, so this coverage doesn’t surprise me; it is very clear that rather than have people move on when jobs disappeared (as they did in the past), like other Rustbelt cities, the permanent underclass was simply paid to “shelter in place” for half a century without work.
LOL, that would be my bet as well?
I understand; many “poor” people by me drive much newer vehicles than I could ever afford - because I have to support my family AND theirs.
Watching clips from Buffalo, people should realize how far the gulf between working taxpayers and the permanent underclass has grown; the gibsmedats are blaming the government for their response to a serious storm, and accept no personal responsibility for themselves. They lament the lack of “warming centers” (a concept that didn’t even exist when I was younger) and the fact that emergency vehicles couldn’t respond pronto to every call - while those vehicles had to combat the same conditions that were stranding vehicles all over the city.
As I understand it, the woman who died in her car (who had lived in the south until a year before) was initially stuck about a six minute drive from her home - and then waited more than half a day before even thinking of venturing out (which she never did). She was filming stranded vehicles around her, and never exited her vehicle to speak to anyone in/with them; her family made it clear she (and they) expected emergency responders to fetch her. Sad, and troubling.
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