Buffalo Snow Impacts: Residents Recovering As Flood Threat Looms

Days after a major lake-effect snow event dumped more than seven feet of snow in Buffalo, New York and killed at least 13 people, a new threat has emerged: flooding. 

Temperatures reached the 40s on Sunday and are expected to reach the upper 50s Monday, with highs above freezing throughout the week. Although officials don't expect a major flooding event, some flooding is expected, even in areas that don't normally see flooding from snowmelt.

(MORE: Flood Threat Looms As Snow Melts)

At a press conference Friday afternoon, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo listed the equipment the state is prepared to use in response to flooding: 425 pumps, 55 boats, three helicopters, 29 high axle vehicles and generators, as well as thousands of sand bags. 

"We are preparing now for more flooding than we've seen in a long, long time," Gov. Cuomo said.

According to The Buffalo News, at a news conference Sunday morning Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown reported "significant progress" on removing snow from city streets, citing 80,000 tons of snow removed. 

Travel bans remain in place in Buffalo and Lackawanna to allow emergency personnel to clear roads, so that trucks can once again enter the area and restock local stores of supplies.

“We are not going to be able to lift the driving ban at this time,” Brown said. “We want to be mindful of the safety of residents. There are a lot of residents on the street, getting needed food and medicine.”

Erie County's website is posting updates on which communities remain under travel bans. For a full list, click here.  After the worst of the storm, Gov. Cuomo finally reopened a 132-mile stretch of I-90 that had been closed for days, but many exits remained closed closest to Buffalo. 

At least 13 storm-related deaths were reported in the Buffalo, New York, area authorities announced. The two most-recent deaths were elderly people who died while being transferred from Garden Gate Nursing Home overnight Friday, Tobe said during a news conference.

A 30-year-old Pennsylvania man died in Cheektowaga, New York, when a high lift attempting to free a vehicle stuck in snow accidentally pinned the man to the car, killing him, according to the Cheektowaga Police Department. An eighth death was announced by Erie County officials Thursday morning — a man in his 60s who died while using a snowblower, according to the Associated Press.

Poloncarz reported two fatalities late Thursday afternoon, contributing them to exposure to the elements, WIVB-TV said. 

Later Friday morning, word came that a 50-year-old man's body was discovered in his snow-buried car in Cheektowaga, WKBW-TV reported.

Additional deaths were reportedly due to cardiac complications.

“If people have underlying heart disease, even if it’s well controlled with medication, or high blood pressure, please don’t go outside and shovel the driveway, ” Erie County Health Commissioner Dr. Gale Burstein told WIVB. “The additional stress on your heart, of being outside in the cold, in addition to shoveling that heavy snow, and it is heavy, can cause people to have heart attacks.”

The Batavian reports that one of the people who died from cardiac-related issues was a Genesee County, New York, highway department worker who had a heart attack while snowblowing a parking lot at the Sheriff's Office.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo declared a state of emergency for 10 counties, including Erie County, most impacted by lake-effect snow. The declaration mobilized more than 1,000 transportation personnel, including 526 snow plows, 74 large loaders and 21 snow blowers. The declaration also ordered 150 National Guardsmen into the Buffalo area to assist with recovery efforts.