Buffalo, already buried in snow, is bracing for more

(Updated)

Record-breaking snowfall that’s still paralyzing areas just south of the border and even more is expected to fall by Thursday morning.

The Buffalo area could get another two feet or 60 centimetres which means some parts of Erie County could be buried in nearly 8 feet of snow by Thursday. That’s just over 240 centimetres.

Major highways have been shut down for two days, and a state of emergency is in effect, with some officials saying it could soon be declared a disaster area.

And here’s a look at why that may happen. The snow has buried cars and homes. And while it seems that people are able to dig out in some areas — in others, people are trapped.

Many of them are communicating with the world via social media — posting pictures like this one. Look at the pile of snow on the roof.

This home might be okay, but we’re hearing some roofs are collapsing under the weight.

The extreme snowfall is blamed for seven deaths. In one case, a 46-year-old man was found in his car. He was buried under about 4.6 meters or 15 feet of snow.

Another person was killed in a crash. And three others died after heart problems.

So there was no getting around in many areas by car or SUV. Many turned to snow mobiles to move about.

This photo was taken just south of Buffalo in Orchard Park.

In some cases people couldn’t leave — the snow actually broke into this home, pushing the door open.

The U.S. military has been called in to help clean up the mess.

They’re teaming up with fire fighters and police. As you can imagine, all this snow means it’s very difficult for emergency crews to get around. So there are delays with ambulance calls and other emergencies in some areas.

Here’s a look at the area affected by the storm. We’ve outlined Erie County in black. It covers Buffalo and the surrounding area, including Orchard Park and Hamburg. Three major highways — the I-190, I-90 and I-290 — run through the region, connecting travelers and truck drivers to the Canada/U.S. border.

It’s worse here in Fort Erie now than it was in north Buffalo Wednesday afternoon.

The QEW south was bad through St. Catharines. There was no traffic on the Peace Bridge

Once into Buffalo, there were roadblocks.

The city of Buffalo is virtually shut down.

“It’s gonna’ be another day or two. Kids not in school. They don’t want people out. There’s ice under the snow. Even if you have an suv you could get stuck.”

It seems more cars are stuck than moving — which compounds the problem.

“It’s more people in front of you. You can’t plow all the way down. Too many cars on the road.”

The I-90 is one of the busiest highways leading from the Peace Bridge through Buffalo. Normally it would be packed full of traffic. But it’s shut down right now. So are a lot of routes in Buffalo, especially those leading south. As you can see from the cars on the road, a lot of people are staying home. That’s what they’ve been told to do by authorities.

Police are blocking every road that leads to the hardest hit area of Buffalo. Aaron Silverman was diverted off a freeway when it closed, then his car got stuck and strangers took him in for the night. He started walking toward the train station at 9:30am and was still walking mid afternoon.

“My car’s under six feet of snow. You’ll find people walking down, it’s the only way to get into the city right now. They have the roads, bridges closed. I stopped counting at 200 cars stopped at the side.”

Many businesses are closed, and people are hunting for supplies.

“Almost all the 7-11’s are open, you’ll wait in line. They’re running short of milk. And Labatt’s.

Homeowners have been trying to keep sidewalks clear.

“We only got about five feet. That ain’t bad. Nothing you can’t handle with your snow blower? And a six pack of beer.”

The last time Buffalo was buried in this much snow, was 1977.

“I can’t put any more in the front yard. It’s going to melt. It’s time to start trucking it out of here like they did in 77. They gotta’ start thinking about other areas of the city besides south Buffalo. I’m trying to keep up, but, how can I be a good citizen. Next thing is flooding. It’s supposed to get warm, 50 something degree temperatures. This is going to melt.”

On the upside there was less traffic than ever on the Peace Bridge. Crossing back over the border took no time at all.