Posted on 10/29/2006 6:37:49 AM PST by saveliberty
Dear [sl’s Mom], now that the situation here is slowly returning to normal, though never again like it was, I thought I would drop you a line and tell you a little of what has been going on here. You are, of course, aware of our horrible "October Surprise". You remember that hereabouts September and October are usually the most beautiful months of the year, and that the fine fall weather often extends way into November. Not this year.
After a lovely spring and unbelievably gorgeous summer, everything seemed to fall off the planet the third week of August, and since then it has been nothing but rain and chill - day after day, very depressing, although an occasional sunny "teaser" day was thrown in to keep us from going crazy altogether. In fact September and October have brought us the most rain in 128 years. And then the snow came. It started Columbus Day, kept up all night, and in the morning everything was covered in 23 inches of wet, heavy snow.
But snow in Buffalo does not faze us, even if it does come at an ungodly early time of year. We can deal with snow, have done it many times (remember 1977?). This time it was different. The weight of the snow on trees still clothed in leaves, still mostly green, was too much for them to bear.
One by one their crowns and huge branches cracked and fell. All night we heard it, like the sound of guns, mingled with thunder and lightning. Daylight showed the extent of the damage. It was horrible. Wounded trees stretched their broken limbs into the sky like skeletons. Roadways, streets and backyards were littered with mountains of broken tree branches.
Buffalo. the city of trees and parks lay wounded. It will take generations to heal the dreadful damage, and we mourn for our trees. Those majestic maples, elm trees, oaks and chestnuts will never look the same - not in our lifetime. Along with that sadness came the the fact that falling tree branches had pulled down and broken electric lines all over the county (Niagara, Genesee and Orleans counties as well), and 400 000 people were without electricity, some for a few days, some for a week and a half. Live wires littered the roads.
We got our electricity back after four days. [Her son] and I drove all the way to Ithaca, NY to find a generator, so we could get our sump pump going (the basement was beginning to fill with water) and connect the refrigerators and freezer. But there was no heat or light - a fireplace would have been handy, but we weathered it the best we could.
It was certainly worse than the Blizzard of '77. That one imprisoned us, but we had light, heat, TV (remember ROOTS?). Schools were closed for an entire week, travel restricted and many businesses had to close, because they had no power. Outside the streets were like a ghost town, no traffic or street lights, no gas stations, no lit-up stores, everything eerily dark. The majority of streets were impassable because of the tree litter and live wires. Electric crews came from many states to help repair the power lines, and huge trucks began carting away the broken tree limbs.
Governor Pataki sent the National Guard to help with that task, but it is estimated that the job of cleaning up will take months. They are piling debris up on the property of the former Bethlehem Steel Company. It is estimated that the mountain of tree debris will reach a height of 25 stories. Places like Kenmore, Tonawanda, (in fact all the northern suburbs - no south towns this time) Williamsville, Lancaster, Cheektowaga, Clarence, Snyder and Eggertsville were particularly hard hit, because they have so many mature trees. Delaware Park is a scene of utter devastation.
No one alive here can remember ever seeing the like. But we are Buffalonians, and we are tough. Still we are saddened when we look at our trees. It is raining again today and very chilly. Tomorrow the wind is supposed to kick up to 60 miles p.h. That will probably bring down a lot of the branches which still hang dangling and broken on many trees. With any luck we will lose electricity again. Anyway, that is a report on our situation. We are just grinning and bearing it, and better days will surely come. As for me, I am doing well, at least - gratefully - not worse. I hope that you and [sl’s Dad] are also well and keeping busy. By having moved away you certainly dodged a bullet. I would love to hear from you when you have both the time AND the inclination. Meanwhile I am sending warmest regards to both of you and am as ever Your friend,
The snow plowed street created cliffs forty feet high.
Add the economic results of tax crazy democrats and it's no surprise the entire Western New York State is dying.
More young people leave the State to the point that population is decreasing at a startling rate...which leaves a heavier burden on those unwilling or unable to do so.
That's awful! I am sorry that you had such a loss during 1977 and that you had to re-experience that loss again when the snow melted.
You are right that Western NY State is dying. Massachusetts is losing taxpayers quickly as well.
Good story. I have to say however that by next year, you'll be able to see some damage and the year after that you'll be hard pressed to tell. We had something like that when a hurricane blew through here in NJ in 96...took down every 20th tree. You can't tell now. Time heals all wounds.
I think of my grandmother every time I make Italian spaghetti sauce with meatballs, neckbones.
It was that scent that woke me up every Sunday morning growing up in South Buffalo...and she taught me her Sicilian recipe.
Every time I make it, my friends and relatives tell me to open a restaurant...and my kids beg me to make it for them when they come home from college on break.
RIP Grandma Theresa Cirella.
Excellent post. Thanks!
BTTT
jm
:-) Thank you, Malsua!
:-) Now that is a great way to honor the good memories you have of her.
Thank you, JockoManning!
You did good posting this. I LOVE threads that have practical info.
BTTT again.
jm
:-) I think that the friend who wrote the letter did the work, and I am glad that you appreciate her letter.
Good read. We had a similar weather incident in central Texas 10 or 15 years ago. We had a massive ice storm come through, in January if I remember correctly. Our oak trees here loose their leaves in the spring rather than the fall. The ice coated the leaves and branches with a thick coat of ice, and for several days we listened anxiously to the gunshot sounds of limbs breaking. Since it's so hot here in the summer (and fall and spring), we tend to be very attached to our trees. I had an ancient oak tree that shaded the whole of my back yard and it suffered some severe damage that winter. It did recover nicely, though.
Thanks for posting this.
I just moved back to SC after living in the Northtowns of Buffalo for about five years. My ex emailed me some pics of the trees down in my old neighborhood and I can't believe the devastation. After reading your post I was particularly saddened to hear about Delaware Park. This Olmstead designed park is the most beautiful park I've ever seen and is surrounded by equally beautiful homes with beautiful, mature trees. Such a shame.
Had I had family there I would have stayed. Even with the horrible weather there I am still missing WNY. The people of Buffalo are wonderful (well, outside the political circles, anyway) and they will weather this storm too. At least their hockey team is setting records as the Sabres are still undefeated!!!
Thank you, SuzyQue!
Thank you, rocky88!
You are right, the loss of so many mature trees is just hard to fathom.
And woo hoo Sabres! :-D
"I think of my grandmother every time I make Italian spaghetti sauce with meatballs, neckbones."
Wow, any chance of you posting Grandma Cirella's recipe? Pretty Please!
I don't measure anymore (just like my gramma didn't)....it's just 'a feeling'.
Just give me a day or so, okay?
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