BUFFALO, n.y. — First came the big storm, then the big dig. Now the big melt.
Residents of flood-prone areas around Buffalo should move valuables up from the basement, pack a bag and prepare for the possibility of evacuation as up to 7 feet of melting snow posed the threat of flooding, Gov. Andrew Cuomo warned Sunday.
“Err on the side of caution,” Cuomo said at a news conference in Cheektowaga. “You prepare for the worst and hope for the best, and that’s what we’re doing.”
Across the Buffalo region, rising temperatures were expected to approach 60 degrees Monday.
National Guard members spent Sunday clearing storm drains and culverts to facilitate runoff.
The National Weather Service said core samples of the snowpack showed it contained as much as 6 inches of water. Forecasters said some stretches of road might become submerged under several feet of water if storm drains remained clogged.
