The Blizzard of '22 that walloped Buffalo and Western New York in December 2022 left a considerable mark on the region, both positive and negative.

The combination of hurricane-force winds, frigid temperatures, and several feet of snow effectively shut down New York State's second-largest city by knocking out power to thousands for days, trapping hundreds of thousands more stuck in their homes or businesses, and leaving the entire area under a state of emergency for an entire week.

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The full impact of the damage is still yet undetermined, but there are some clear negative impacts that have affected us all. There were many other people who were stranded in very precarious conditions around the area and needed to find ways to survive on their own.

Some folks were able to get out of dangerous situations on their own, unfortunately, not everyone who was in danger was able to be rescued. So far 47 deaths in Western New York have been attributed to the storm, and that figure is expected to rise in the coming days.

While there were many tragic situations that occurred during the storm, there were also many acts of heroism and selflessness that happened as well. So many people made a difference that New York Governor Kathy Hochul held a special ceremony in Buffalo to celebrate people from Western New York who went above and beyond to be good neighbors and offered assistance to those who most needed it during the storm.

Today we'll focus on heroism and what that means. What does it mean to be a hero? It means knocked down and get up... So, we talk about those, again, we lost, but the stories of those citizens who did the extraordinary, shared their homes, put themselves in danger, shared a meal...
-Kathy Hochul, Governor of New York State

One of the many examples of the heroism that occurred during the storm was captured on video via bodycam by a few different Buffalo Police Officers during the storm. It should be noted that when the storm was at its worse, nearly 70% of emergency vehicles were stuck in the snow and needed assistance.

Some of the footage that was captured is quite striking, one video shows officers rescuing a group of people who were stuck inside a freezing building that was without power for 2 days. You can watch it all below.

Buffalo Blizzard of 2022

Various Photos from around Buffalo and Western New York during and after Winter Storm Elliott brought a cyclone bomb to the area.

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