BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — Many neighborhood throughout Western New York remain impassable, as road crews continue to clear out the snow in the hardest hit areas.
Driving is just not an option in North Buffalo. Along with the driving ban in Buffalo, many of the streets are still covered in snow.
News 4 caught up with people walking to the Walgreens on Hertel Avenue and Parkside to buy food and supplies. Residents say they were running out of food, that they didn’t plan to be stuck at home for multiple days during the blizzard, or days afterward while road crews work to clear out the snow.
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There are a lot of streets in North Buffalo that can not be driven down. People who live in this area say that has been a concern for them, because they know if someone has a medical emergency it’ll be tough to get help.
One woman told her husband to take it easy shoveling and snowblowing for that reason.
“My husband, we were shoveling and everything, and I said, ‘You just gotta come back in, because what if something happens? You know there’s nothing you can do,’” Allison Smith recalled. “Saturday, I guess that was, when he went out first to shovel — it was just so heavy, we couldn’t even get our snowblower out because we had a six foot drift in front of the garage. So yesterday, we were able to clear a path and at least get the snowblower out.
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The other issue people have been dealing with are the power outages.
“We luckily didn’t lose power, but a lot of people we know are still out of power and just trying to stay warm.”
“I’ve been stuck in my house with the snow,” North Buffalo resident Janet Jackson said. “It’s been wild crazy, I know a lot of people have lost power, but we’re one of the few lucky people that haven’t.”
News 4 also talked to a mother who lives in Kenmore; her family didn’t have power for almost two days.
“We were just trying to bundle up as much as possible,” said Brittny Bennett. “At one point we were trying to run an extension cord maybe from a neighbor but it didn’t work out. So were just bundling and trying to all stay in one room just to stay warm.”
On Colvin Avenue, utility crews worked to restore power back to a number of houses on the block. One resident on the street said those houses were without power since Friday.
Sarah Minkewicz is an Emmy-nominated reporter and Buffalo native who has been a part of the News 4 team since 2019. Follow Sarah on Twitter @SarahMinkewicz and click here to see more of her work.