New York Residents Stuck Inside Since Monday’s Snow Storm

Thousands of New York State residents have been stuck inside their homes since the powerful snow storm that struck on Monday. Jack Fasanella, a 62-year-old resident of Eerie County, casually told the media that, as a resident of western New York, "we're used to it," but also admitted that the last storm of this magnitude, in 1977, was one that could be walked through, whereas this week, the snow hasn't budged. Meanwhile, 28-year-old Amanda Szczesniak, who lives between Lancaster and Depew, called the meteorological incident the "worst I've ever seen".

Lancaster, in addition to Orchard Park and Cheektowaga, is one of the Buffalo-area towns that have been affected the worst, as housebound locals look out at five-feet-high snowfall in their front yards and reporters have observed ten-feet-high snowbanks, with desperate residents dragging beer on sleds along them. Talk radio lines are filled with people searching for the locations and statuses of their loved ones.

However, not everyone has remained in the relative safety of their homes, as 10 deaths were recorded by Thursday, while at least one nursing home was evacuated and a partial collapse occurred at the strip mall next door to it. No one was injured in either case. The roof of the nursing home was in danger of buckling from the snow piled up on it, so the building was immediately cleared. It is not surprising that Governor Andrew M. Cuomo filed a state of emergency order.

Even the sporting and entertainment industries have been effected, as the National Football League (NFL) moved a game, the National Hockey League (NHL) postponed a game and the American band Interpol canceled tour dates in the region. The Great Lakes area has also suffered, but not as badly as the Buffalo area.

As the American Cross continues to assist people in relief centers located in fire stations and churches, local business are donating food and supplies. Outside, the media reports that it is "snowing sideways".