Central Ohioans with ties to Buffalo blizzard
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) – Cleanup up in Buffalo, New York, continues following the weekend’s deadly blizzard, with more than 30 storm-related deaths in the area.
Some in central Ohio have ties to western New York.
Tuesday’s game between the Buffalo Sabres and the Columbus Blue Jackets in Columbus was postponed because the airport in Buffalo is still closed.
Some central Ohioans trying to get back to Columbus had to change plans, too.
Several days after the snow started falling, western New York is still digging out from the historic holiday weekend blizzard.
“It's just unreal, like nothing I’ve ever seen, and I was in the Blizzard of ‘78 in Columbus, so I did experience that, and I experienced this and this is worse,” said Powell resident Jane Switzer.
Switzer spent Christmas with her 94-year-old aunt just north of Buffalo. She ended up driving there a day early last week to beat the storm and make sure she was there with her aunt.
“It meant a lot because if I were back in Columbus and she had been here by herself, I probably would have worried about her,” she said.
In Buffalo is the Fraas family. Frank Fraas moved to central Ohio in the 1980s, while his sister Loriann has lived in Buffalo her entire life. At times during the storm, Loriann couldn’t see her neighbor’s house, and now, she has feet of snow outside her door.
“It wasn't even the four feet,” Loriann Fraas said. “It was really the wind and just the drifts, like my front door at one point, you couldn't see out of it because the snow had drifted all the way up.”
At times during the blizzard, emergency services in some areas were limited. Living in Buffalo, Loriann Fraas is no stranger to snow.
“Oh, this is probably the worst,” she said. “At least as far as them, like, not being able to plow the roads, not being able to open anything for days and days.”
Switzer planned to drive back to central Ohio Monday. She got on the road, but then found out a big part of her route was still closed, so she turned around.
“We were very fortunate,” she said. “I feel so bad for so many of the people in Buffalo because some of the stories coming out of there are unbelievable, truly.”
Switzer plans to make her way home Wednesday.
As for the Sabres-Blue Jackets game, no makeup date has been announced.