Buffalo blizzard to be formally studied by NYU

"I am pleased to welcome NYU Wagner's partnership with the City of Buffalo to analyze this winter weather event."
Buffalo Blizzard
In this aerial photo, the Sun rises over Buffalo, New York, on December, 28 2022. - The monster storm that killed dozens in the US over the Christmas weekend continued to inflict misery on New York state and air travelers nationwide, as stories emerged of families trapped for days during the "blizzard of the century." The number of deaths attributed to the winter storm rose to more than 50 after officials confirmed three more fatalities in western New York's Erie County, the epicenter of the crisis. Photo credit (Photo by Joed Viera / AFP) (Photo by JOED VIERA/AFP via Getty Images)

Buffalo, NY (WBEN) - The blizzard that devastated the Buffalo region and is blamed for at least 40 deaths will be formally studied to review actions taken and prepare for future storms.

Live On-Air
Ask Your Smart Speaker to Play News Radio 9 30 W B E N
WBEN
Listen Now
Now Playing
Now Playing

Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown announced Saturday the New York University's Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service will be studying the blizzard and delivering an after-action report on the actions throughout the region to prepare for, respond to, and recover from the storm.

"This storm was one of the strongest winter weather systems to ever hit a densely populated metropolis. With climate change and increasingly strong weather systems," Brown said, "We know this is not the last. I am pleased to welcome NYU Wagner's partnership with the City of Buffalo to analyze this winter weather event."

NYU Wagner is one of the premiere higher education institutions for public policy in the nation, a statement from the city reads. This combination of dedication to public policy and being outside the region will bring a unique and necessary level of objectivity to the review and report.

“The Wagner School and its Rudin Center for Transportation are pleased to partner with the City of Buffalo to learn from the experience of the recent blizzard, so that Buffalo, and other cold weather cities, can respond efficiently to the effects of increasingly intensive storm weather events on infrastructure and essential services," said Dean Sherry Glied.

The Brown administration is already conducting internal reviews of the city's response, as well as working with the team at NYU Wagner. The after-action report will include examinations of, but not limited to, the Department of Public Works, Buffalo Police Department and law enforcement partners, Buffalo Fire Department, Buffalo Sewer Authority and other governmental entities, as well as local utility companies.

Once the NYU Wagner analysis is completed - currently slated for the first quarter of 2023 - this report will also demonstrate for other cold weather cities across the nation best practices for handling such storm systems.

Featured Image Photo Credit: (Photo by Joed Viera / AFP) (Photo by JOED VIERA/AFP via Getty Images)