Wet basements in Buffalo as flooding fears ease

BUFFALO, N.Y. — Some Buffalo-area residents dealt with flooded basements from melting snow as authorities on Tuesday kept an eye on rising creek levels a week after the region was hit by record-breaking lake-effect storms.

The National Weather Service issued a flood warning until late Tuesday afternoon for parts of a five-county area of western New York, including Erie County. Forecasters say moderate flooding is possible along some creeks in the area, but fears of disastrous conditions have eased.

Winds gusted to 40 mph early Tuesday, but few power outages were reported.

All Buffalo public schools have reopened after being closed since last Tuesday, when the storms began shutting down much of the region. Some districts in the hardest-hit areas outside the city reopened Monday, but others won’t resume classes until next Monday.

Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown said Monday that crews have removed 11,000 truckloads of snow from city neighborhoods.

The Red Cross has an emergency shelter open in case flooding, roof collapses or power outages force evacuations.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo, in the region for a sixth straight day Monday, said state-deployed pumps and sandbags were in place as rain and temperatures over 60 rapidly melted the snow. Residents shoveled snow in T-shirts against a backdrop of white drifts.

Snowfall across the region ranged from less than a foot to about 7½ feet, depending on where the bands of snow coming off Lake Erie hit hardest.