In terms of Buffalo, they really aren't. They can't get a break, yesterday they got another 2 ft of snow on top of the 5 to 6 ft they already had been pummeled with.

This amount of snow is due to what is known as 'lake effect". They sit at a point - as does the eastern side of Cleveland all the way to Buffalo - where winds aloft come across the open, unfrozen waters of Lake Erie, where the air picks up lots of moisture from the lake, and then dumps it on the lake shore and inland as snow.

This Lake Erie "snow machine" has resulted in over 7 ft of snow in some areas along the lake. The weight of all that snow can crush structures, collapse roofs, push in doors and windows, and then, eventually, to make matters even worse, when that snow thaws, you have massive ice damage and flooding.

There are parts of the country that do receive more than this, places like The Rockies and such, but in most cases, those large amounts of snow are dumped over a wider space of time, in areas that aren't as populated, or, are dumped in areas where the people that are living there are prepared for it, with things like snow mobiles and Sno-Cats. Buffalo is like any other northern populated city, and while they are used to heavy accumulations, this time the snow came down so heavy and so fast, that they just couldn't stay on top of it. Crews were working 24 hours 'round the clock, and it didn't make a difference. It was simply a matter of too much, too fast.

OMG ! Get them some help! .. It will be turning side ways soon because weather is suppose to go up to 57degrees in the few next days :(

From what I've heard in news reports, as of this morning, they do have some rescue personnel available... the problem right now is that the rescue people can't get to the people who need rescued... :(

People who have never experienced a situation like this often don't realize just how bad these winter storms can be, and the monumental amount of damage that they can cause.

In many situations, there are power outages as well - due to downed-power lines and such, and many of the people in the surrounding rural areas along the lake require power not only for the day to day things that we all take for granted, but also for things like well pumps, fans on furnaces, etc. and without these things, they don't have heat or water.

Adding to this - the elderly or disabled "shut ins" - who rely on their meals to be delivered, or people of poor health who need medical supplies (like oxygen) to be delivered, or, need transported themselves on a daily basis to local health facilities for things like dialysis, and you really do have a very bad situation.

Governor Cuomo has declared a state of emergency/disaster, which opens up aid from agencies like The Red Cross, as well as help from The Army Corp of Engineers, The National Guard, etc. - and these do help, but they are still at the mercy of the weather.

It's a pretty bad situation in that area right now. Having grown up in the Great Lakes Region, living here almost my entire life, I've been through storms similar to these in the past ( anyone else here remember the Blizzard Of '78?) and I really do feel for them.

I hope they get the relief that they need ... and soon.