BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — For immigrants arriving in Buffalo, winter can come as a huge surprise.
It can even be a matter of life or death as was seen two years ago when the blizzard hit, killing 47 people, two of whom were immigrants.
The institute is asking people to print and display its PDFs of winter safety tips, which are written in 13 different languages. You can find them here.
"Part of being a welcoming community is making sure that you're able to share important public safety information in their native language," said Jennifer Rizzo-Choi, executive director of the International Institute of Buffalo. "You can't just presume that everybody speaks English."
I spoke with four recent immigrants now living in Buffalo about their experiences with snow and tips they want to share.
Mirvet Al Bassam, who speaks Arabic and English, is from Iraq, "I didn't know I didn't prepare for it. So I don't have a winter coat. I don't have winter boots."
Christange Cellino, who speaks French, is from the Ivory Coast. She is a clinical assistant professor at the University at Buffalo's School of Pharmacy, "If you are driving, you make sure you have gas in your car, you have maybe a blanket in your car."
Noorullah Aminyar, who speaks Pashto, is from Afghanistan, "To be prepared to have enough food. If they are sick, to have enough medication."
Husseni Hassani, who speaks Swahili, French and English, is from Congo but grew up in Tanzania, "I came [to Buffalo] in winter and that was my first time experiencing snow, seeing snow. I was like: Oh, wow."
They also read winter tips in their native languages to help spread the word to their communities. You can watch them read the tips in their native languages below.
نصائح للسلامة في فصل الشتاء للاجئين الذين يعيشون في نيويورك
Conseils de sécurité hivernale pour les réfugiés vivant à New York
د کډوالو لپاره د ژمي خوندیتوب لارښوونې
Vidokezo vya usalama wa majira ya baridi kwa wakimbizi wanaoishi New York
