Buffalo, N.Y. (WBEN) - As the mercury on the thermometer starts to take a plunge with the colder weather approaching, questions continue to arise over the upcoming preparations for the winter season in the City of Buffalo.
In the aftermath of the 2022 Christmas Weekend blizzard that devastated Buffalo, the Buffalo Common Council moved for the Mayor's Office to submit a snow plan to lawmakers by April 1 of each year, rather than Nov. 1 of each year. That amendment was approved by the Common Council in November 2023.
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Buffalo Mayor Chris Scanlon submitted his snow plan for the 2025-26 winter season back in April, and is only waiting on a couple of potential amendments to the plan before his office takes the next step in preparations to battle the snow this winter.
"We're going to be providing [the Common Council] in the next couple of days an update on the fleet, and where all the equipment stands, just so everyone has a good idea of where we stand operationally heading into the winter months. But aside from that, the plan was filed," said Scanlon in an interview with WBEN on Wednesday. "I know we are also looking at amending a couple things with relation to our emergency services operation, but again, that'll be going to the Council in the next couple of days."
Scanlon feels the key takeaway from last year's snow plan, and what made efforts so successful as they were was the level of partnerships the city had with other local officials.
"I don't think it's been executed at that level in the past, the coordinating with the county and the state in advance of storms, not when you're in the middle of them. I want to thank the governor, thank the county executive. They were tremendous last winter in partnering with us, pre-positioning equipment prior to snow storms, things like that. Dividing the city up, where we needed some extra assistance, they were willing to step in," Scanlon said. "I think that's what it's about. We have great partners, and when we put everyone together on the same page and pulling in the same direction, we're extremely effective."
As for this year's snow plan, Scanlon feels confident his plan will, once again, be as effective in battling snow once it makes its return to Western New York and the city.
"While I've had the great fortune of serving the South District since 2012, I've had the misfortune of representing the district that receives the most snow. It's no nothing new to me, the amount of snow that we receive," he said. "Again, having grown up here, living there and now representing that community for more than a decade, I'm well aware of the challenges related to it."
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