Buffalo’s emergency vehicle fleet, storage capabilities and warming centers were not sufficient to fully address December’s once-in-a-generation blizzard. During the storm, fire trucks and ambulances were stuck in snow or frozen to the ground, exacerbating the emergency conditions that abounded.
That was among observations noted in an analysis of the response to last year's blizzard in Buffalo that killed 31 and left thousands without power.
The December blizzard, which hit Buffalo the hardest in the region, cost the city $10.2 million in operations and recovery. In order to accomplish several of the recommendations, Buffalo will need to partner with regional, state, federal and private sector entities to acquire resources, wrote authors of "Lessons Learned from the Buffalo Blizzard" report.
The document was compiled by the New York University (NYU) Wagner School for Public Service through the initiative of Dean Sherry Glied, in partnership with Mayor Byron Brown and the City of Buffalo.
"To compound the dire situation, the blizzard hit Buffalo during the Christmas season, when many residents had travel plans and some essential workers were already away for the holidays. Employees who remained local were asked to sacrifice their holiday time to serve in extraordinary conditions that resulted in 46 deaths countywide," authors wrote.
Other observations include:
- While the city is no stranger to snowstorms, several factors made this particular blizzard uniquely challenging. Hurricane-force winds of up to 80 miles per hour brought whiteout conditions and 15-foot high snowdrifts, wind chill temperatures dipped to 30 degrees below zero Fahrenheit, and the blizzard lasted longer than any prior storm below 5,000 feet of elevation in continental U.S. history.
- Although Buffalo comprises the majority of Erie County, it does not manage the County’s Emergency Operations Center – a challenge to reach when transportation is hampered – or the 9-1-1 call system. There was a backlog of 1,100 emergency calls during the storm, but Buffalo emergency services were hampered by County dispatch software that could only view 25 calls at once (sometimes duplicative). In addition, seven people died in Erie County because of what officials have characterized as a delayed EMS response due to backlogged calls, unplowed streets, and stranded vehicles causing blockages.
- Residents were housed in firehouses and police stations even though they were not equipped with cots or food.
The researchers found that "On Saturday, December 24th, the second day of the blizzard, the county announced that emergency services would not be able to reach people for emergencies due to the severity of the snowstorm. Seven people died because of what officials have characterized as a delayed EMS response. The inability of emergency vehicles to 255 reach many households in Buffalo was due to whiteout conditions, unplowed streets and snow pile-ups, and emergency personnel struggling to leave their homes to get to work. By 3:00pm on Friday, 911 dispatchers were overwhelmed with emergency 255 Watson, 2023 Lessons Learned from the Buffalo Blizzard May 2023 139 calls, and by the following morning, there was an 1,100-call backlog."
Also, the analysis showed that "throughout the city, it took 22.72 hours on average for emergency services to respond to a call; unsurprisingly, responses to calls that came in on the afternoon of December 23rd or anytime on December 24th took much longer due to the whiteout conditions and massive amounts of snow. While the storm had stopped by the 25th, due to a large amount of snow and lack of cleared streets, it took emergency personnel over 18 hours to respond to calls that came in that day, and nearly 8 hours for those that came in on the 26th..."
There were 6,119 calls made for service within the Buffalo city limits from December 23 through December 26. Some of these calls were repeat calls for services as people waited for assistance that did not reach them for days, or were multiple calls for the same incident (such as a dead body or large fire).
"The Buffalo Fire Department (BFD) orchestrated fire response operations despite most of their vehicles becoming stuck in ice and snow at some point during the blizzard. They were able to maintain full staffing at the firehouses due to a well-developed reserve plan, and to transport residents to essential medical services, like dialysis appointments," the team wrote.
A month after the 'generation storm,' IAFF Local 228 President Vincent Ventresca said some of the rigs had no heat and some of the city’s ladder trucks were damaged. One doesn’t have a working pump while the other has a mechanical problem caused the ladder to be stuck in the air for five days during the blizzard.
The panel noted that Buffalo authorities have already started on a few issues including working with Erie County to optimize their new 9-1-1 CAD system for Buffalo’s emergency responders’ needs as well as exploring new technology to streamline calls and responses.
They also lauded fire and police officers for thinking outside the box.
The chief of detectives, who trained in the military, employed scuba gear to venture outdoors, as the material is more weather-resistant than typical police apparel.
Fire officials orchestrated response operations despite most of their vehicles becoming stuck in ice and snow at some point during the blizzard. They were able to maintain full staffing at the firehouses due to a well-developed reserve plan, and to transport residents to essential medical services, like dialysis appointments. The following key priorities emerged from our research: ·
- Physical assets. The city’s emergency vehicle fleet, storage capabilities, and warming centers did not meet the demands that responding to this once-in-a-generation storm required.
- Electrical power. Because of failures in the electrical network, managed by National Grid, approximately 20,000 customers and key City facilities, including fire houses and the Department of Public Works facility, lost power at some point during the storm, some for up to four days.
- Public communications. Many people remained uninformed despite travel bans and stay-at-home orders. The city relied heavily on television and radio announcements and non-specific warnings, and not enough residents had enrolled in text message alert systems.
- Existing equity issues. While the snow hit all of Buffalo hard, the blizzard's impact was felt hardest in neighborhoods that endure persistent economic hardships and resource limitations. Of the 31 individuals who died within the City of Buffalo, 20 were people of color - disproportionate for the city’s demographics. Some residents ventured out mid-storm for food and medicines because they were not in a financial position to stock up ahead of time.
The researchers also noted that it's vital that the public be informed continuously before, during and after the incident by a myriad of means.
They also suggested the city establish a citizen response corps and train residents to help others until firefighters and rescue personnel arrive which took days in December.
