Buffalo, N.Y. (WBEN) - An extensive study on the Buffalo blizzard of December 2022 is complete, and the 170 pages of the document from New York University's Robert F. Wagner School of Public Service boil down to four major recommendations.
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The independent study was commissioned at the direction of Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown shortly after the city recovered from the deadly storm, and it became clear there were inefficiencies that needed to be addressed.
"We wanted to have an impartial view, and we reached out to a well-respected, a nationally respected School of Public Affairs in New York State to do this review for us," said Mayor Brown during a press conference on Friday at City Hall.
According to the report, it says the December blizzard had "serious adverse effects on the city’s infrastructure, businesses, and residents." Mayor Brown feels this report will be extremely helpful going forward to make sure the City of Buffalo is not crippled by the effects of such a devastating winter storm.
"Now we know with climate change, we will see more harsh weather in our community. We have to be prepared for that," Mayor Brown said. "There are recommendations in the report about what steps the city and its partners can take to help better manage serious extreme weather events."
A research team of nine individuals and additional advisors focused on and investigated four primary areas of impact: Roads, Utilities, Communications and Equity.
In the complete report, it is recommended the city construct two new physical public works facilities to replace the aging and deficient Broadway Barns Department of Public Works headquarters.
The Executive Summary also recommends the city bolster its relationships with regional, state and federal agencies toward a goal of improving electrical stability and improved housing stock, among other improvements.
Addressing communication barriers with the use of social media channels and physical signage is also noted as a key recommendation within the NYU report.
Finally, addressing systemic challenges that hinder resilience, including impacts on under-resourced neighborhoods and residents and mobility-linked hindrances, is a key recommendation.
"In addition to things that we have already begun to work on, other recommendations include: Working with private businesses to establish a business notification system, partnering with FEMA for a more robust emergency notification. Currently, we have emergency notification systems, but we want to make sure that information is pushed out to people who are not enrolled in any of the systems that we presently have," Mayor Brown detailed. "Improving physical equipment, such as investing in DPW facilities. As I mentioned, and that investment is underway. Installing better physical signage of storm warnings in public places. We're also continuing to work to address equity issues with measures such as assistance with water, sewer, and tax bills, as well as home repairs. And on these resources, we are working with federal and state government."
During the briefing on the NYU report, Mayor Brown noted the purchase of more snow fighting equipment, as well as the creation of new positions such as a Fleet Manager and an Emergency Operations Manager.
Mayor Brown says some equipment will come prior to the next winter season, which could come as early as this October. Meanwhile, some equipment won't come until the following season, because of the length of time that the purchase process takes. One city official says some of the equipment on its way was purchased ahead of the December storm, while other pieces were ordered shortly after.
Also being created by the City of Buffalo as a result of the report is a Storm Response Taskforce to help with the implementation of the recommendations. The taskforce will consist of about 20 members from city, county and state government agencies. There will also representatives from National Grid, local businesses, and neighborhood associations as part of the task force that will participate in the process of implementing recommendations from the NYU report.
"Together, we will work to implement the recommendations outlined in the NYU report to help our city and region better manage future extreme weather events," Mayor Brown said.