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JESSICA FINCH Associate Editor

• A YEAR LATER - On Oct. 11, 2006, The Amherst Bee hit newsstands with this top story: "Services threatened by proposed budget." The budget numbers quickly left the limelight. Who would have guessed the Oct. 18 edition's top stories would be "State of emergency," "First dose of FEMA aid en route" and "Superintendent: schools to remain closed until safety guaranteed." The storm that started the evening of Oct. 12 came with unprecedented force.

I was in my apartment alone because my roommate, Kathryn, was unable to make it home from her parents' house in North Buffalo. My power went out around 8:50 p.m. - minutes before

Grey's Anatomy" was scheduled to begin. I really thought it was going to be back on in an hour or so because, like many, I had no idea what was going to happen over the next few hours.

I woke up the next morning and saw that I still did not have power. Without looking outside, I called managing editor Dave Sherman, saying I would be late. I was slightly embarrassed when I looked out and realized that going into Amherst was obviously not going to happen.

Kathryn actually went to work. She walked the two miles from her home to the Buffalo Zoo, dressed in various winter gear from her parents' basement. As she said, the animals have to eat and be taken care of.

Sitting home alone was a bit creepy and lonely, so I heated water on the stove to make hot chocolate and ventured out with my travel mug. Walking through the streets, taking pictures, I was freaked out - the best way to describe my mood. The narrow streets of Buffalo were a complete mess; I wondered when I would finally be able to leave.

I met many caffeine addicts during my walk. Assuming I had a mug of coffee, instead of hot chocolate, they pleaded with me to tell them where I got the coffee - probably for some energy as the cleanup process was sure to be extensive.

When I got home, I started shoveling the driveway by myself and made nothing more than a mere dent in the heavy, wet snow. I gave up and sat in my car, charging my cell phone and listening to radio updates. My level of "freaking out" rose as I became more aware of the seriousness of the storm, especially for my readers in Amherst.

Later in the day, I started to shovel out my car, but at that time there was more water than snow. Then my level of "freaking out" decreased as the power trucks turned down my street. I forget now how many I counted, but I just smiled in relief that we were getting help. Others on my street clapped and cheered, waving to workers.

I became a nomad for a few days, staying with Kathryn's parents, who had power and opened their home to friends and family, and then went down to my parents' house in East Aurora. They had no damage. On Sunday, I went home to see how the city was recovering and was never so happy to see the lights on in my apartment. I then threw out all the perishables I purchased on Oct. 11. I also thought I was dealing with a frozen, dead fish, but luckily I was stopped before I flushed him, because he "defrosted" and is still alive today.

The memories of the October storm will never be forgotten: the sound of trees cracking, the chaos the next morning, the towering piles of branches and most of all the companionship.