Snow removal resumes in Buffalo after city employee dies

BUFFALO, N.Y. — Buffalo will resume snow removal that was paused after the death of a city employee. The worker died while clearing snow.

Police say the victim was struck by a high lift truck as it was backing up to drop a load of snow in a dump truck at around 11:15 a.m. on Wednesday.

Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown says the victim has decades of field experience. He says fellow city workers are heartbroken. Police have not yet released the name of the employee.

Meanwhile, more than 30 additional dump trucks are headed to buffalo to help with clean-up after last week’s lake effect snow storm. That will bring the total number of trucks cleaning up Buffalo’s streets to 170.

In areas like south Buffalo, the focus has been on snow removal, not plowing. That’s to make sure emergency vehicles can get through the streets. Other parts of the city are at the plowing stage.

The state is deploying additional operators and trucks and a Federal Emergency Declaration is in effect for 11 counties in New York buried by the lake effect storm, including Wyoming and Genesee County.

The request allows FEMA to get emergency aid to those counties through search and rescue missions, protecting roads, bridges, and water pump stations.

At least three other people have died as a result of the storm because of heart issues while shoveling.