Big Apple gets Buffaloed by gov
Declares snow, not migrant, emergency
Gov. Hochul sprang into action Thursday when her hometown was forecast to be hit by a huge “thundersnow” storm — sparking fury from critics who said she still hasn’t lifted a finger to help the Big Apple deal with its $1 billion migrant crisis.
Hochul’s emergency declaration for the 11 counties around Buffalo paved the way for federal aid to flow there if a “major disaster” results from the expected 4 to 6 feet of snow in the area.
But nearly six weeks after Mayor Adams declared a state of emergency over the flood of migrants to the city, Hochul has yet to respond to his desperate plea for help.
City Council Minority Leader Joe Borelli (R-SI) said there was “no other crisis in New York that is costing the city at a minimum $600 million, if not higher.” He added: “And if that isn’t seen as an emergency then my definition of the word ‘emergency’ is very different from the governor’s.”
Staten Island residents who live near a group of hotels converted into migrant shelters also blasted Hochul’s move.
“Buffalo has been dealing with snow for a long time. Buffalo doesn’t need Hochul. Staten Island needs Hochul,” said Kelli Dennis, 42.
“It’s been, what, two months now that these hotels have been occupied, and there’s been no change. Nothing. It breaks my heart every day.”
Forecasters warned of a possible upstate “thundersnow” — a thunderstorm that dumps snow instead of rain — if relatively warmer air rising from Lake Erie collides with colder air in storm clouds.
Hochul ordered a 130-mile stretch of the New York State Thruway and secondary highways closed as of 4 p.m. and nearly 600 plows, 5,700 utility trucks and 42,000 tons of salt were expected to be pressed into action.
Sunday’s Buffalo Bills home football game was also moved to Detroit’s Ford Field.
Additional reporting by Jesse O’Neill and Brian Wacker