BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — Snow, wind, freezing temperatures, all conditions that Western New Yorkers are still recovering from. It’s conditions that residents will once again have to prepare and be ready for to make sure their safe come this weekend.

“Having extra blankets, having nonperishable food, water, treats for your pets, having things that you know you’re going to want if there’s going to be a couple of hours without power,” said AAA Communications Specialist Valerie Puma.

Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz took to X/Twitter earlier today, also urging residents to not wait and prepare for this weekend’s weather warnings now.

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“If you don’t have a backup system, your basement obviously could get wet. You could lose food in the fridge or freezer. I mean, there’s those kind of thought processes that go on,” said one neighbor.

“Get the food in your house. If you do have a generator, get it hooked up quickly,” added Earl Cooper of Eden.

National Grid and NYSEG were still hard at work restoring power throughout Thursday.

With both companies telling News 4 much like residents they are also preparing — with crews set to stay in the area to not only remedy the current issues but also be on standby for the weekend.

“The crews that are working in our service divisions right now are going to remain in the area and will adjust accordingly. This is something that our crews, our line workers, our tree Crews, this is what they’re trained for. So, they’re certainly prepared for this,” claimed NYSEG communication manager Alexis Arnold.

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“We are right back into pre-positioning crews and our prep work. We’re not taking any chances, we never do. We prepare, that’s what we do and it’s what we do every day. We have people who are going to be ready just like they were Tuesday for a repeat of what it looks like we just experienced,” continued National Grid spokesperson David Bertola.

Talking to neighbors throughout this week besides power outages, storm damages are also on their minds, so what do experts say you can do to prepare for something like that?

“Making sure that you’re being proactive. As soon as that storm is over you can really inspect your property, making those insurance claims right away, taking photos. Just being proactive about that is going to be a lot better for an insurance claim rather than waiting,” concluded Puma.

Governor Kathy Hochul also issued a statement Thursday urging New Yorkers to be vigilant, along with issuing early warnings to ensure the state response is speedy and effective.

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Dillon Morello is a reporter from Pittsburgh who has been part of the News 4 team since September of 2023. See more of his work here and follow him on Twitter.

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