‘Mountains of snow’: Buffalo residents say they expect to be clearing snow for days
After being stuck inside for days, people in Buffalo are starting to venture out into the feet of snow left by the holiday weekend blizzard to replenish supplies.
'People have lost everything': Buffalo blizzard survivors work together to recover
Buffalo blizzard survivors are in need of supplies after a major winter storm dumped more than 5 feet of snow on the area. Residents continue shoveling out and tell FOX Weather’s Robert Ray the impact the storm has had on the city.
BUFFALO, N.Y. – A week after a deadly holiday-weekend blizzard left behind a frozen landscape, residents of hard-hit Buffalo are braving the elements to replenish supplies.
Snow began falling last Friday and continued through early this week. Several feet of snow buried much of the Buffalo area, with whiteout conditions reported at times. Frigid air accompanied the blizzard, producing wind chills that were far below zero. More than 30 people have died as a result of the storm.
Bill Smith said he’s been hard at work to clear the snow on his property.
"There is mountains and mountains of snow, and it’s going to be here for a while," Smith told FOX Weather correspondent Robert Ray. "It’s not like it’s going away overnight. It will probably be about a week until we see any of this stuff gone."
Residents and workers remove snow from the streets of a Buffalo neighborhood Dec. 29, 2022.
(Robert Ray / FOX Weather)
Ray Snyder said he thinks the city hasn’t done enough to remove the snow from the streets, forcing him to give his daughter a ride to work.
"I mean, we have central workers that live on this street, and they can’t even get down the street," Snyder said. "I mean, my daughter works at Mercy, and the only reason she is getting to work is because I’m picking her up in a four-wheel-drive."
A travel ban that was instituted during the blizzard was lifted Thursday, but officials are asking residents to travel only if it is essential. Roads in some communities were still impassable Thursday, but some neighbors have been helping each other dig out.
"Absolutely pathetic, terrible," said Buffalo resident Patricia Parker. "Four days of shoveling out, and thank God these people came to help us because my husband is 70 years old, and he can’t do this himself."
WHERE DOES ALL THE SNOW GO AS BUFFALO AREA DIGS OUT FROM DEADLY BLIZZARD?
![Snow on the ground in Buffalo]()
Image 1 of 3Snow remains piled around many houses in Buffalo on Dec. 29, 2022, about a week after the blizzard that crippled the region. (Robert Ray)
![Buffalo snow shoveling]()
Image 2 of 3A person shovels snow into a Buffalo street Dec. 29, 2022. (Robert Ray)
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Image 3 of 3A front-end loader scoops up ice and snow from a street in a Buffalo neighborhood Dec. 29, 2022. (Robert Ray)
Some in Buffalo said they’re going to take things more seriously the next time they hear about a coming blizzard.
"I’m very grateful to be alive right now," Trisha Kennitzer said. "So, I would say the next time someone says, ‘It’s going to be bad,’ don’t go outside. There were like four other cars stranded next to me. People have lost everything, you know, their families. So, I’m glad to be here."
Many of the people who died during the storm were found outside, according to officials. Others appeared to have frozen to death after being stranded in their vehicles or suffered cardiac arrest while removing snow. A few people died because of delayed ambulance surface during the worst of the storm.