BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — Neighbors on Buffalo’s East Side came together to help one another during the lake effect snowstorm.
Community leader Murray Holman from “Stop the Violence Coalition” is making sure the elders are staying safe during these frigid temperatures.
“I’m pushing 60, so I would like to get some young people to come out here and do it as well," he says. “But it’s God’s gift to take my time with it and have my uncle help me sometimes.”
Holman was able to dig snow out of Joanne Mitchell’s driveway.
Mitchell tells 7 News reporter Yoselin Person that she’s thankful for Holman’s gratitude since she is facing her own challenges in taking care of her 22-year-old disabled son.
“He has multiple disabilities, but he is my baby. I adopted him when he was three,” she says. “So made him permanently have a good home, and snow causes him to have seizures, and thanks to Mr. Holman he takes care of that for me.”
Holman speaks on the survival kits that were distributed months ago by the county.
He says it’s supposed to be kept inside your car in case you're stranded during harsh weather conditions.
“It has everything that you need to survive. You got a flash night in here, a mini radio,” he explains. “These are water bottles, you got purified water, you have goggles, there are some MRE’s in here as well.”
Those survival kits would’ve been perfect for LaDonna Boyd who was stuck on the side of the road Wednesday evening.
“The side streets you will get stuck, so I try to get in here and get that ice out of there,” she says.
Thankfully Boyd says she only lived two blocks away.
But she wishes the city could do more in treating the roads for the entire East Side of Buffalo.
“We knew about this since the blizzard even before the blizzard this is something we need to be prepared for,” Boyd says. “They get enough money in the city to have things going on and pay these people to come out here and do that so absolutely get out here and salt the streets. That’s what we need.”
Boyd didn’t have to struggle for too long to get the ice out of her tires and she's heading home to her daughter.
Not too far away from Boyd was a private contractor named Ronnie Mellerson.
He says he has been out since early afternoon helping his clients.
He's expecting to respond to more clients for the rest of the day.
“I respect the ban, but once they say it’s for certain parts of Buffalo, I’m out here doing what I got to do,” he says. “So those that need me hit me up 716-308-7491. We’re coming to you. Buffalo, Cheektowaga, not too far from Amherst. I’m not going to charge a price. It’s whatever you want to give me.”
You can visit ready.gov/kit for instructions to make your own kit.
