Erie County Executive joins Buffalo Mayor, Public Safety Officials to Urge Preparedness Ahead of Winter Weather
ERIE COUNTY, NY— Winter weather is on the horizon and today Erie County Executive Mark C. Poloncarz was joined by Buffalo Mayor Chris Scanlon, Deputy County Executive Lisa M. Chimera, Erie County Commissioner of Public Works Bill Geary and City of Buffalo Commissioner of Public Works Nate Martin, County Commissioner of Homeland Security and Emergency Services Dan Neaverth, Jr., and numerous other County and City personnel at the County DPW Harlem Barn in Cheektowaga to outline County and City preparations for potential snowfall this weekend and throughout the winter season.
The Erie County Department of Public Works has at the ready, 40 tandem axle plow trucks, 10 light duty plows, 15,000 tons of salt, 15 high lifts loaders, 3 high lift mounted snow blowers, 2 road graders for scraping hard pack and roughly 150 personnel ready to fight the snow. The Department has five districts: Aurora, Clarence, East Concord, Hamburg, and Harlem.
The Erie County Department of Health reminds residents that winter weather can knock out power and disrupt travel plans to medical treatments or to get prescription medication. If you or someone in your house has medical or physical needs that depend on electricity or the ability to get to medical care, make or update your plans for care now. Not just for potential emergencies, but for every day.
For households that have generators, homeowners should be sure to store the fuel for the unit appropriately, practice turning it on and hooking it up, and when running the generator, keep it outside and away from any doors, windows or vents that would allow carbon monoxide to come indoors. Carbon monoxide is a deadly, odorless, colorless gas. The American Red Cross and FEMA each have very good guides online about generator safety.
While many are celebrating the Thanksgiving holiday this weekend, it is important to remember that emergencies can happen at any time, and the Buffalo and Erie County Food Policy Council have developed two resources for households to prep on a budget and to make delicious and budget-friendly meals with simple ingredients.
• Prep on a Budget https://www3.erie.gov/fpc/emergency-preparedness-and-food
• Emergency Eats Cookbook
https://www3.erie.gov/fpc/sites/www3.erie.gov.fpc/files/2024-10/emergencyeatscookbookfpc.pdf (available online/digitally, these recipes were submitted by the public and include recipes that can be made during emergencies, especially when power, resources and fresh food may be limited.)
Erie County’s Office of Health Equity developed a very complete “Let’s Get Ready for Winter Weather” newsletter:
The resource contains many practical tips around preparing for our inevitable snowy weather and is available in English, Arabic, Bangla, Burmese, Spanish and Swahili.
The holidays can be a stressful time and disrupts normal routines and feelings of stress, anxiety, grief or loss can be overwhelming. The Erie County Department of Mental Health reminds residents that the phone number 9-8-8 is the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline; local calls to that go to our colleagues at Crisis Services and are an important form of confidential support.
With winter’s arrival here, it is important to think through the most likely ways that a few feet of snow could disrupt or endanger your health and safety and make plans now to reduce those risks. Most importantly, think about friends, family and neighbors who could use some extra support in cold and dangerous weather, and make a point to check on them.
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