BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — Nearly one year ago we endured the unthinkable — whiteout conditions and hurricane-force winds across Western New York. Jeffrey Dorenzo remembers those very difficult days around Christmas.
"It's almost hard to believe, yeah. 10 months," Dorenzo said.
Dorenzo got stuck in the snow while Ubering that Friday morning in zero visibility. He was trying to back to his home in South Buffalo. He called a neighbor for help and tried to meet him in treacherous conditions.
SEE: Neighbors reunite for a group picture to celebrate lives saved during the Blizzard of '22
"Once I got to the entrance of UPS I was like this is probably how I'm going to die," Dorenzo explained.
Dorenzo made it home late that night but then spent the next few days saving 26 lives with his neighbor all while missing Christmas with his daughter.
"So I was supposed to be with her on Christmas and I was out doing rescues. So, I let her stay with her mother. So her mother gave her a good Christmas," he said.
Since the blizzard, a lot of lessons have been learned so people like Dorenzo and the people he saved never have to be in that position again.
"We continue to work," Mayor Bryon Brown said.
The City of Buffalo alongside county and state agencies received training from FEMA and the Center for Homeland Defense and Security in best practices of preparedness when responding to and recovering from catastrophic incidents. The facilitator of Wednesday's seminar, Clark Kimerer, said he presented the agencies with scenarios they needed to respond to.
"It was a very, very rigorous and detailed examination of their preparedness. That is our program. We don't comment on what is said in the seminar because we want it to be a worst-case scenario analysis and I can at least tell you that the participation today the thoughtfulness and commitment and dedication of City of Buffalo of Erie County and the state was...very, very commendable," Kimerer said.
7 News' Kristen Mirand asked Brown if he feels better prepared for this upcoming winter.
"I certainly feel more confident. We have leaned into communication with each other at the city county and state level," Brown answered.
You may remember, the city asked for a report on its response to the blizzard. NYU compiled a nearly 180-page report noting communication as a failure. The mayor said this was a priority at Wednesday's training.
"I think this deepens our partnership and deepens our ability to respond to extreme weather collectively," he said.
Brown also said they learned that very specific language in terms of weather conditions is important to relay to the public during extreme weather events.
"So the public takes it seriously. So the public embraces the guidance that's been put out by city, county and state agencies," he explained.
The mayor also announced the city will release its winter weather task force recommendations by the end of this week while the the city's snow plan will soon be sent to Buffalo's Common Council. The positions of emergency coordinator and fleet manager, created after the blizzard, have yet to be filled.
"We think it's critically important if the City of Buffalo is going to fill those positions to get the right people," he said.
In-person interviews will be held next week, according to the mayor.
