State of emergency
by JESSICA L. FINCH Associate Editor

Kenny Guyer works on utility lines along East Spring Street in Williamsville Sunday afternoon as part of National Grid's efforts to restore power. Guyer works for Ohio Edison. Photo by David F. Sherman

The Town of Amherst has declared a state of emergency that will remain in effect until Monday, Oct. 23, following the devastating storm that engulfed the town last Thursday and Friday.

Two deaths resulting from the storm were reported by the town's Millard Fillmore Suburban Hospital as of Tuesday. Five other deaths were reported in other parts of Western New York.

Now that the snow has stopped and the wind has calmed, the focus turns to what was left in the storm's path.

"First we respond to save lives and provide public safety," Amherst Police Chief John Moslow said. "Once that is stabilized, we begin dealing with the aftereffects of the storm."

He added that the emergency crews' efforts are now in the mitigation phase, including handling flooding, brush and sewer backups.

Since Thursday, more than 1,800 calls for police or fire assistance were handled by the Amherst police. A total of 60 motor vehicle accidents were reported despite the driving ban.

Jim Zymanek, director of emergency services for the Town of Amherst, has been operating the town's command post out of police headquarters since Thursday evening.

Each morning at 6:30 a.m. the town conducts a meeting on how to attack the cleanup efforts for that day. Coordinating highway, engineering, police, fire companies and power companies, Zymanek has been directing crews around the clock.

Assessing the condition of the town on Tuesday, Zymanek said flooding conditions are at the top of the list of concerns, along with debris removal.

"With the rain we had, and the debris in ditches, that is complicating matters a bit," he said, adding the creek levels have risen in the past day.

Zymanek said in some locations large trees are laying across the creek, adding to flooding concerns. Anyone with information on debris in the waterways should call the Highway Department at 632-7117.

The Amherst police, doubling its on-duty staff, first responded to residents in critical condition, transporting them to get help. Moslow said the officers will continue working in 12-hour shifts until it is safe to resume normal operating hours.

As many as 70 percent of street lights lost power at some point during the storm, causing dangerous driving situations. With power being restored, the driving ban for the Town of Amherst was lifted at 6 p.m. Monday but an advisory remains in place.

Motorists are reminded that when they approach an intersection where a traffic light is out they should treat it as a four-way stop. The command post was working with Erie County to place stop signs at those intersections.

The first calls for help came in Thursday afternoon and continued to be placed. "We responded to emergency

calls, including welfare checks, transports, wires being down," Moslow said. "We had teams in sections of town pinpointing the most hazardous areas."

He said that information was then sent back to the command post where a National Grid representative was stationed to direct workers to the most hazardous areas. Moslow said the town was still dealing with downed wires as of late Monday.

From the information gathered in the field, the directors at the command center decided the priority areas in town and sent out assistance. Approximately 90 percent of the town experienced a power loss.

"No one predicted this storm, but we knew later on Thursday that this would be out of control," Moslow said. "Then we geared up for a long-term response."

Barbara Browning, senior marketing associate for Millard Fillmore Suburban Hospital, said that as of Tuesday morning, two deaths were being reported by the hospital.

James M. Moulin, 59, of Getzville, died Friday, Oct. 13 of storm-related injuries. Amherst police Sgt. Detective Michael Torrillo said the second death was an elderly woman who died while en route to the hospital from the senior center. She suffered injuries from a fall.

The hospital lost power at 11 p.m. Thursday but was able to operate on backup until power was restored late Sunday night.

Browning said all elective surgeries were cancelled during the power outage and have been rescheduled. Critical surgeries were successfully performed, she added.

Ambulances were directed to reroute non-emergency cases to other hospitals. Millard Fillmore Suburban Hospital reported many walk-in patients, some suffering from critical needs. The hospital also treated several cases of mild carbon monoxide poisoning. A total of 300 people were treated during the storm.

Community members volunteered at the hospital, including picking up staff members who were having difficulty reporting to the hospital.

"The dedication and personal sacrifices our staff have made to ensure continued high quality patient care has been tremendous," said Arthur T. Dunn, president of Millard Fillmore Suburban Hospital. "We also had many people from the community stop into the hospital to volunteer. That says a lot about how this community rises to the occasion to meet this type of challenge."

Zymanek said all town personnel are responding to the cleanup effort, and he would appreciate the co-operation of the residents.

"I am hoping everyone will remain patient. We are dealing with a significantly large incident," he said. "Its a snow emergency, with debris and flooding all rolled into one incident."

He added, "Be safe, be smart as you are doing things. We have seen an increase in fires and residents being overcome by carbon monoxide."

In the next few days, Zymanek will be posting answers to frequently asked questions in handling the state of emergency at http:// www. amherst. ny. us.

e-mail: jfinch@beenews.com