By Miranda Vagg/vaggm@gnnewspaper.com
The Journal-Register
October 12, 2007 02:05 pm
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MEDINA — One year ago tonight, snow started drifting into the Western New York region, gently blanketing streets, lawns and trees with what would become a devastating snowfall so early in the season. Tree limbs snapped and fell under the weight of leaves and snow, bringing many power lines down with them.
The Oct. 12-13, 2006, storm left many without power, with downed trees and worse yet, it trapped many people who did not have an emergency plan.
New York State Emergency Management Office Spokesman Dennis Michalski said there are three things people should always remember in the event of an emergency or disaster, either natural or man-made: Have an emergency plan, have emergency supplies in place and be aware of your environment.
“Preparedness isn’t a one-time shot. It’s something you really have to practice and be aware of year round ... no matter the circumstances,” he said. “If they do those three things, those are the first steps — having a plan in place, know what your community plan is, know how your community is going to alert you.”
Michalski suggested paying attention to local media outlets, because that is how communities become aware of events like last year’s freak storm.
What if another storm hits the region? Are Western New Yorkers prepared? With increased and continuous training in disaster relief, the level of preparedness has been heightened, said Darla McGill, administrative assistant for the American Red Cross in Orleans County.
“I feel we would be more prepared because there’s been more training involved,” she said. “I went to Rochester in May to get trained to be a disaster instructor.”
Through the Disaster Instructor Specialty Training program, McGill has learned to teach others the ins and outs of emergency preparedness. Other Red Cross Disaster Team members have been trained in handling media coverage and alerting news sources of events.
McGill has also been trained in how to work shelters. During the storm, three shelters were opened throughout the county. They assisted approximately 100 people who were without power and in need of a place to stay. In Albion alone, 87 people stayed overnight at the shelter, while Medina and Holley saw fewer than 10. Several groups also aided the Red Cross by supplying meals, transporting people to the shelters and making runs to the hospital to fill oxygen tanks for those who needed it, she said.
But the Red Cross also took its job one step further in the days following the storm. It sent volunteers out with supplies — from baby food and diapers to hot soups and bottled water. Red Cross volunteers knocked on doors and helped those who were still without power.
When the snow started to fly, McGill said she didn’t foresee a disaster. But as the temperature dropped, everything changed, and a whole region suffered.
The area received a Federal Disaster Declaration, the first region in the state to be so designated last year, in a long string of events that included flooding in the Southern Tier, a snowstorm in Central New York and a tornado in the Bronx, Michalski said.
“All those events, whether it’s a climate change or not, people need to be prepared and take the necessary steps,” he said.
The storm’s lasting effects include devastation to trees. The early storm occurred before trees had even lost their leaves. That, combined with the wet, heavy snow, caused branches to snap and trees to fall under the weight.
Approximately 80 trees throughout the village are slated for removal, with landscape plans for development along West Avenue. There are more than 100 potential planting sites for new trees, said Christopher Busch, chairman of the Village of Medina Municipal Tree Board.
“Medina did not experience tree devastation on the scale that the town of Amherst (did),” Busch said. “However, our village forest is old or very new, and significant damage was experienced,” he said. “The vast majority of our municipal forest is made up of maples, specifically Silver Maples. Most of these trees are quite large and in very poor condition. Last years’ October storm only made their condition worse.”
Busch said the Silver Maple is a weak-wooded species to begin with, and any kind of storm event — wind, ice or otherwise — will bring down large branches and often the entire tree. Without proper care, a branch that has been broken leaves the tree open to disease, infestation, rot and, ultimately, a dying tree that is unsafe, he said.
Michalski believes the surprise storm taught lessons in being ready for disaster.
“I think the preparedness level was ratcheted up since then,” he said. “The local government may not be able to reach (those affected) that day. People have to have the proper supplies.”
Contact reporter Miranda Vagg at 798-1400, ext. 2225.
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