Buffalo Emergency Kit — Personalized for Your Risks

Local Hazard History

Buffalo's worst storms are measured in feet and in lives. The Blizzard of '77 (January 28 to February 1, 1977) killed about 29 people, many of them frozen in stranded cars, and packed drifts 20 to 40 feet high — much of that snow scoured off the frozen surface of Lake Erie rather than falling fresh. It drew the first federal disaster declaration ever issued in the United States for a winter storm. In November 2014, back-to-back lake-effect bands known locally as Snowvember buried the Southtowns while the Northtowns got a dusting: the November 17–19 event alone dropped 65 inches on South Cheektowaga, 63 on Lancaster, and 57 on West Seneca at rates approaching 6 inches per hour, killed 13 people, caused hundreds of roof collapses, and stranded thousands of motorists as the Thruway shut from the Pennsylvania line to Rochester; a second band days later added up to four more feet. The deadliest came at Christmas 2022. Blizzard conditions arrived the morning of December 23 and held for more than two days, killing 47 people across Western New York — 46 of them in Erie County — and cutting power to more than 100,000. Eighteen victims were found outside in the snow, and twelve died in homes that had lost heat.

When Risk Peaks

• Nov–Dec: The most dangerous lake-effect window — Lake Erie is still warm and open, and both Snowvember (November 2014) and the 2022 blizzard hit in this stretch
• Dec–Feb: Blizzards and extreme cold; the Blizzard of '77 struck in late January
• Jan–Mar: Once Lake Erie ices over, lake-effect snow eases, but ground blizzards can still whip fallen snow into whiteouts
• Mar–Apr: Snowmelt and ice jams raise flood risk on local creeks
• Jun–Aug: Severe thunderstorms with damaging wind
• Year-round: Driving bans and multi-day outages are the common thread — Buffalo's real hazard is being cut off, not just snowed on

What to Pack for Buffalo

Buffalo's defining emergency is being stranded — in your house or in your car — while the snow keeps coming:

• Build for a driving ban, not a snow day — Erie County closes roads outright during blizzards; assume no store run, no plow, and no ambulance for a day or more
• Plan to hold heat without power — twelve of the 47 people who died in the December 2022 blizzard were in homes that had lost heat; keep cold-rated sleeping bags, wool blankets, and layers
• Never run a generator or grill indoors or in an attached garage, keep a working carbon-monoxide alarm, and clear furnace and dryer vents after heavy drifting — blocked exhaust is a quiet killer
• 3–5 days of water and no-cook food per person
• A serious winter car kit — blanket, boots, shovel, food, charger, and something bright to flag the car; four of the 2022 victims were found in vehicles, and never idle a car with a snow-blocked tailpipe
• A battery or hand-crank NOAA weather radio — a lake-effect band can shift a few miles and change everything about your day
• Keep IDs, insurance papers, and medications in a grab-and-go pouch

Local Resources

• City of Buffalo Emergency Preparedness — City preparedness guidance, alerts, and snow-emergency information.
• Erie County Homeland Security & Emergency Services — County disaster preparedness, driving bans, and emergency response.
• NWS Buffalo — Lake-effect snow warnings, blizzard warnings, and local forecasts.
• Ready.gov — Federal all-hazards guidance for winter storms and extreme cold.