BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — The 7 News I-Team is learning New York State's third-party investigation into that deadly December blizzard, is finally expected to be released in two weeks.
All of this more than seven months after the deadly storm that killed 47 Western New Yorkers.
Back in February, Guidehouse -- already under state contract -- was chosen to do an independent review, at a total of up to $550,000.
There was no public bidding process, despite the governor saying there would be one.
The firm was simply chosen because the governor said, she wanted this review done fast.
The I-Team's Ed Drantch has been asking the governor about this, since January, when Gov. Hochul made her first public appearance in Buffalo, after the storm.
WATCH: HOW DID WE GET HERE?
When the governor was in Buffalo, Friday, the I-Team asked again for a status update and if there was an internal investigation done.
DRANTCH: Can you give us an update about when that might be released and what you're expecting it to entail?
HOCHUL: Within the next two weeks.
DRANTCH: Beyond that, how has the state's Executive Chamber, your office, been in contact with Guidehouse, the firm doing that investigation?
HOCHUL: Well, I wanted an independent investigation. If they need information from us, we'll provide it. This is why I'm not doing it internally, because I want a set of eyes from the outside to examine all the response factors that we played a role in and I wanted this done certainly before the next snow falls. I'm told they needed some extra time. We wanted it late spring, which, even by June. They're taking longer than anticipated. I said let's get it done and I think within the next two weeks, we'll have it available.
DRANTCH: So are you saying that your office has not done an internal investigation into its response to the storm?
HOCHUL: No. I did not say that. I said with the Guidehouse study, in addition to what we've done — we've done, you know, our own conversations about practices and what we do in place and lessons learned, of course we would do that, immediately. But what I wanted also is an independent set of eyes to look at it subjectively and to question and to come up with recommendations so we're prepared for the next season. So that's why we're looking and waiting for them to complete this review. A lot of times the public is more cynical about something that's done internally versus having the validation of a set of independent eyes. I want to make sure people knew that we are very serious about finding a way to ensure that improvements are made.
The I-Team also reached out to the governor's spokesperson asking for
any of those internal investigation results - as a pertains to that December storm? If there was in fact, an internal investigation, there should be some sort of documentation for it, correct?
The spokesperson responded, referring the I-Team to the governor's comments to our question.
The City of Buffalo's response was also investigated, separately, by New York University.
