BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — More than seven months after the deadly Christmas blizzard in Western New York that killed 47 people, New York State has released the results of a third-party investigation that is critical of the actions of both the state and Erie County.
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Within the first few paragraphs, the firm conducting the investigation explains:
...many people were traveling to the region to visit family and businesses were adjusting hours to accommodate extensive retail shopping over a long weekend, leading many to prioritize family and social plans over storm preparation.
But the report is quick to point out, the state needs to "prepare for a potential increase in severe weather, including blizzards, in Western New York." The firm suggests training exercises and "other preparation activities" to make sure all stakeholders are prepared for such serious storms and emergency response.
Beyond that, the report blasts Erie County for using an old emergency response network, called DLAN, while New York State was using a system called New York Responds (NYR). The two systems 'talk to each other,' but there are steps that need to be taken to make that work.
During interviews with key stakeholders, it emerged that some initial difficulties also came from local personnel’s unfamiliarity with the system in a high-stress environment, resulting in a lack of resource requests to the State. Because of this, the State lacked critical information on the operating environment and emergency management landscape in WNY for support missions taking place on Friday, December 23, within the context of the early phases of this storm
The report explains, "This created initial confusion around the current status of requests, whether all requests were actually present and visible in the system, and which requests were received, assigned, or already being worked on."
The 49-page report defends the state for its initial actions before the storm hit.
...this was just one aspect of a much larger State-wide storm that forecasted threats to areas from Buffalo to New York City. Leading up to the blizzard, New York State (the State) monitored and prepared for severe winter weather across the state, as well as positioned assets to mitigate potential impacts including flooding and snow accumulation in areas that were forecasted to get the worst of the storm.
But once it became clear the storm would make a direct impact on Buffalo, the report explains a "whole-of-government approach" was taken, coordinating with the state Department of Homeland Security, State Police, the Thruway Authority, and the Department of Transportation.
The report recommends there be a formal agreement of "policies and procedures to guide coordination efforts in situations where critical resources cannot reach their primary destination."
By doing so, leadership will reduce operational friction in similarly severe storms, by encouraging teams to follow pre-existing protocols, designed with a unique set of restrictions in mind.
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The report also points a finger at how social media was used by the State of New York, to express the seriousness of this storm. While there were many tweets, warning about the storm, the report says the state failed to explain — connecting the dots — what could happen to someone in the blizzard.
"Highlighting the possible risk to life and safety could increase the effectiveness of these communications," the report explains.
The report calls for plain language to be used when communicating with the public using social media.
"This approach has the added benefit of providing specific actionable information to the public, which can be used to help them stay safe."
Much of the focus has to be on communicating with refugee and immigrant populations. The report cites a statistic from the City of Buffalo, explaining 17% of Buffalo residents don't speak English as their primary language."
"Since immigrant and refugee populations can often be disproportionately impacted by disasters, the State should continue developing targeted messages to these communities," the report says.
A socioeconomic disparity is also highlighted in the report. Considering the holiday season, the report explains, for those who have a hard time making ends meet, it was even more difficult to prepare.
Residents noted that committed storm planning can be an extra burden and a particular challenge when coupled with struggles to pay rent and other recurring expenses. This issue was further complicated by the timing of the blizzard.
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Three states deployed assets to Buffalo to help with storm response. This could have been activated as early as December 23. This coordinated, multi-state response was not activated until December 26.
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But even if those assets came earlier, the report explains it wouldn't have mattered. The report explains, "Personnel supporting assets like dump trucks, loaders, snowmobiles, UTVs, and high-axle vehicles, would be subject to the same low-visibility conditions that endangered the response teams already in place."
The City of Buffalo released the following statement in response to the Guidehouse report:
The Mayor is aware the State's After Action Report for the response to the December Blizzard is completed. City staff participated in the process as requested and we are currently reviewing the document. As previously announced, the City has established a Storm Response Task Force and has already purchased new equipment and adopted new storm-fighting procedures.
