BUFFALO, NY (WKBW) — More help was on the way Friday for residents who still needed their homes cleared of snow and now slush left from the devastating blizzard.
For the second day in a row, the New York State DOT organized state agencies to help clear snow and check in on neighbors in east Buffalo.
A brigade of state workers went door to door in the Shiller Park neighborhood helping people dig out.
A number of state employees started their morning inside the Shiller Park Senior Center before heading into nearby streets.
“Essentially going out and assessing these streets around Shiller Park and making sure people are okay,” director Richard Fontana, special assistant, NYS DOT, former Buffalo Common Council member.
Those gathered were given safety gear and instructions. They were asked to be careful walking and shoveling the wet, heavy snow, making sure they don’t overdue.
Then wearing orange vests and yellow hard hats they broke up into groups down several streets off Genesee Street, first knocking on doors to ask if residents are okay and if they can clear snow on their property.
“It's a need for individuals to be able to get out of their homes safely,” explained Timothy Hogues, NYS Department of Civil Service.
Hogues tells me he was excited to be part of this effort and more importantly, to see if residents need help.
“If someone's in need if for some reason they still have power issues or food insecurities or damage to their home we are taking that information and trying to provide whatever support we can,” Hogues remarked.
“I'm really grateful,” declared Kazi Rahman, a resident.
Rahman is a Theodore Street tenant and was extremely happy to see the team arrive at his home where two elderly people live upstairs from him.
"They're like 70 and 80 years old and it is very difficult for them, so I made a small path for them, but still it was not safe for them,” described Rahman.
All the state employees participated and volunteer their time to help dig out Buffalo residents.
Volunteers from @NYSDOT @NYSDOTBuffalo @nyspolice helping residents on Theodore Street in Buffalo dig out. @WKBW https://t.co/1EddcQf4Rv pic.twitter.com/9sIfu0WjSG
— Eileen Buckley (@eileenwkbw) December 30, 2022
“Today state employees who live and work here in Western New York are leaving our jobs to come here to help our neighbors,” Steven Nigrelli, acting NYS Police superintendent. "I wish we could do more. We are the City of Good Neighbors."
Superintendent Nigrelli says he's very proud to help Buffalo.
I asked him if anything could have been done differently from an emergency perspective given the blizzard claimed at least 40 lives.
“At the end of the day, you give all the resources here in the world — this storm would not allow them to be deployed — it was that type of storm and that's the scariest part, we were not in control — mother nature truly was controlled for about 36 hours,” responded Superintendent Nigrelli.