BUFFALO, N.Y. — The risk of flooding in Buffalo and western New York is dissipating as state officials look to Washington for help recovering from last week’s storm, which dropped as much as 7 feet of snow on the area.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo had warned residents Sunday to prepare to evacuate as spring-like temperatures mixed with rain.
Monday, with less precipitation than forecast and the flood threat declining, the governor said the next step is to tally the costs with a goal of meeting the minimum $27 million needed to receive federal disaster aid.
“The aftermath is going to be dealing with the financial ramifications,” Cuomo said at a press briefing in Cheektowaga, a town east of Buffalo. “Many local governments spent their entire budget on snow removal in the past week, and the winter hasn’t even started.”
The pre-winter blast killed at least 12 people, most from heart attacks. It left houses buried to the eaves and cars entombed on highways. The Associated Press
