The great white shark of a snow storm with nearly 12 inches of accumulation predicted is ominously headed toward eastern Niagara County.
On Friday, Gov. Kathy Hochul issued a State of Emergency ahead of the extreme cold and “massive” winter storm set to impact areas statewide this weekend and Monday. “Snowfall rates of up to two inches or more per hour are possible in the heaviest snow bands, which will reduce visibility on roadways,” Hochul said in a statement.
“Between the extreme cold and potential for a significant amount of snow, we could be facing some dangerous conditions through Monday,” said Jon Schultz, Niagara County Emergency Services director. “There is still uncertainty on the route the storm will take and how it will impact Niagara County.”
Schultz said the State of Emergency allows for quicker deployment of storm resources, like the National Guard, high axel vehicles from the Office of Fire Prevention and Control, 8-foot-wide snow blowers for roads, state Department of Transportation plows extending their routes to additional roads.
Mayor John Lombardi III said Friday the city is continuously monitoring the weather and streets, and recommended that people avoid traveling unless absolutely necessary.
“If it gets bad, there will be a travel ban,” he said.
City Chief of Police Steven Abbott said, “When we issue a driving ban, we don’t issue them lightly. We’ve had several instances where we’ve issued driving bans and people were stuck and there were accidents.”
Drivers who ignore travel bans and get stranded can expect to rack up significant costs.
“They’re going to be getting towed, which is about $300, and they’ll accrue impoundment and storage fees,” Abbott said. “It can be quite financially burdensome when that happens. We’ve had to have city plow trucks go out in front of police cars to respond to 911 calls.”
As a cautionary tale to drivers, Abbott recalled helping Erie County on an expressway after the blizzard of 2018.
“They were trying to clear the roads and they were using forklifts to stack cars on cars so emergency responders could get through.”
Residents should prepare for it to take time for secondary streets to be plowed out, Abbott said.
“Typically, what happens is they’ll clear the main thoroughfares and then they hit the hills like Market Street and Clinton Street,” he said. “Then, as it lightens up, they’ll go to the side streets. You can lay all the salt you want, but if you’re getting an inch every 15 minutes, it’s not going to do anything. When it’s coming down hard, they’ll do their best, but it can be too much for them to keep up with.”
Lockport town board member Patrick Weidel, who worked for the Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority after serving 35 years with the Niagara County Sheriff’s Office, said during the Christmas blizzard of 2022, nearly 100 drivers were stranded when going home from work.
“We had a power outage at a Buffalo police station that lasted two days,” he said. “So they were not only stuck, but stuck without power.”
Weidel said employers should be sensitive to the risks their employees could face when bad weather is predicted.
“We need to make sure that parents that need the time off to take care of their kids can leave work,” Weidel said of early dismissal. “But there are some employers that just can’t let people leave,” he said of essential workers.
“I would say that the most important part of storm preparation is awareness,” Weidel said. “Know what’s coming and take care of the things you can take care of.” That includes having prescriptions filled.
For drivers, that includes keeping a blanket, gloves, hats, a shovel, and jumper cables in their car, and lock de-icer in a jacket pocket.
Paul Reid, executive chairman of Reid Petroleum, reminded drivers of the importance to keeping their car fueled.
“On the off chance that you are out and about and get stuck or stranded, if you have extra fuel on board, you can keep warm,” he said. “Make sure you crack the window.”
Keeping the fuel tank full in cold weather also prevents condensation from forming in the empty space of the gas tank, Reid said.
For possible power failures, Schultz cautioned residents against running generators in homes or attached garages.
“We’ve had a lot of snow, so it’s hard to find a place to put generators,” he said. “If the wind is blowing and you put it in the garage, carbon monoxide could come in the house.”
Schultz and Weidel remind residents to have a supply of non-perishable groceries, water, prescriptions, and if needed, diapers and baby formula.
Schultz reminds residents with newer furnaces to make sure the vent pipes aren’t covered with snow or dig them out. “If you can’t do it, talk to a neighbor about helping you.”
If you haven’t used your fireplace or wood stove this year, Weidel said to make sure the chimney and pipes are clear before lighting a fire.
Heidi Feltz, lead 4-H educator at Cornell Cooperative Extension of Niagara County, said animal owners should check for enough feed to get through bad weather. Livestock grow thick coats in preparation for winter, she said, so a barn with dry bedding that’s closed from drafts is enough protection.
“Once animals are acclimated to the cold, you don’t want to bring them in because you warm them up but then you will want to put them back outside later,” Feltz said. “You’re better off leaving them in one place or the other.” Rabbits and poultry in outdoor hutches benefit from nest boxes of dry straw and a tarp wrapped around it in below-freezing temperatures, she said.
“Make sure their water buckets aren’t frozen two times a day,” Feltz said. She said heated water dishes are available. “If they drank in the morning and they get water in the evening, that is OK. If they’re a milking animal, they need access to water a little bit more.”