Clean-up is underway after the damaging wind and flooding in Western New York.
Crews continue to work on downed trees.
Buffalo officials said they’ve been busy cleaning up trees since last night, but there are still about 40 roads closed as a result of downed trees and power lines.
Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown said the primary focus Friday for crews is getting trees cleaned up for roads to open. The fire department said they responded to 150 calls for service as well last night because of the storm — two of those were for a structure fire and one was a rescue.
Right before 2:30a.m. near Tonawanda and Niagara streets, firefighters rescued two people from the top of a pick-up truck that was overcome with water that was filling a viaduct from a high Scajaquada Creek. Firefighters said both people involved are doing ok.
Brown said there were no injuries reported during the storm.
Instead, the focus remains on addressing damage and getting things back to normal.
“Our city crews have been out all night and will continue to clean up throughout the day and tomorrow,” Brown said.
“If people see one of our crews come up and cut stuff up and leave it in a pile, we are not abandoning that, there will be a streets crew that will come and get that material so that we can keep moving and opening up streets and other things like that,” said Andy Rabb, deputy commissioner of parks with the city’s Department of Public Works. Once work is complete on main roadways, crews will work on residential streets.
A reminder: Downed power lines should be treated as live and should be reported to 911, while downed trees should be reported to 311.