Continued snowfall combined with frigid cold temperatures in Western New York following the historic arctic blast that swept through during the Christmas holiday are collapsing the local community in and around Buffalo.
Reports indicate that many area residents are unable to find food, medicine, and other essentials as major grocery chains and pharmacies remain closed. Driving is also banned in some areas as roads remain blocked with ice and snow – and even more snow is on the way, which will only exacerbate matters.
Nearly two dozen people in the Buffalo area have reportedly died from the storm, including one woman who dropped dead while walking in her neighborhood.
"There are no stores open," said Scott McCandless, 54, of Orchard Park, a suburb of southeast Buffalo. "It's whatever you can grab."
McCandless told the media that he ate a bowl of generic Cinnamon Toast Crunch for his Christmas dinner because he had little else beyond a shrinking supply of bread, eggs, and cans of meatball soup.
"I was just getting low, and I was just getting nervous."
Once McCandless got his driveway shoveled and decided to venture out in search for more supplies, he realized that just about everything is closed. (Related: Do not forget that many Americans are already struggling to survive amid high inflation, food shortages, and an ongoing economic collapse that has only just begun to manifest.)
"I drove three miles, then five miles, in my car and nothing was open," he explained. "I gave up."
Desperate Buffalo residents take to social media in search of aid
At the local Salvatore's Garden Place Hotel, a popular hospitality destination near Buffalo Niagara International Airport, the food supply for guests has also been iffy.
"We are trying to survive as much as we can," said Leven Oxmaul, a front desk agent, who was snowed in at the facility for several days.
"We are kind of running out of food," he said, revealing that the hotel's gift shop had just about run out of snacks and drinks. "It's really frustrating. The guests as well are losing their patience. We can't go anywhere. We're buried in the snow."
Nationwide, there have been 57 deaths blamed on the "once-in-a-lifetime" blizzard that hit many other surrounding states. Of these, 27 occurred in western New York's Erie County.
Many others remain in survival mode as some of them take to Facebook and other social media platforms in search of supplies. One person requested spare diapers for twin infants while another asked for cold medicine for a sick toddler.
Others made urgent requests for baby formula, which has been in short supply for many months due to supply chain issues.
"Running really low on food, been stuck in our house," wrote a Buffalo resident with four small children. "Slightly starting to panic when I looked outside and seen it snowing more."
As of this writing, about 10,000 households in Buffalo are still without power. Some local driving bans have also been lifted along with some stores reopening – but not all areas around Buffalo have gotten to this point quite yet.
The fact that many supermarkets throughout the Buffalo area are still closed after all these days highlights the importance of preparedness, especially when you know a storm is on the way.
Residents of the area are learning this the hard way right now, but let it serve as a lesson to you as well about the importance of keeping a little extra on hand for possible times of need. These are crazy times, no doubt.
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