When officials needed a crew to respond to the Buffalo snowstorm, Nassau County Office of Emergency Management workers did not hesitate to help. From left to right are Chris Fasano, Rick DeLucia, Rob Fineo and John Imbriale. (Photo provided by Rick DeLucia)
BETHPAGE — CSEA Nassau County Office of Emergency Management (OEM) worker John Imbriale was enjoying his Christmas Eve when he received an urgent call from his supervisor.
The supervisor asked him to assist Buffalo area workers in responding to the devastating snowstorm, which was at its peak that day. At the supervisor’s request, Imbriale also reached out to a couple of his colleagues, who all agreed without hesitation to assist in the response efforts.
The group packed the town trailers with plowing trucks and other weather emergency equipment and headed to Buffalo on December 26.
‘It was chaos’
Including stops to park emergency vehicles and driving in tough road conditions, the trip took 12 hours.
Along with Nassau County OEM workers, Nassau County Department of Public Works employees also responded. Nassau County Police Department officers escorted the group upstate to ensure safety.
The task force largely had an easy trip until they reached Buffalo.
Fineo
“When we arrived, we saw stranded tractor trailers that road crews had to plow around, leaving only one lane open,” said Nassau County Emergency Medical Specialist Rob Fineo. “Parking lots were full of tractor trailers that were jackknifed and spun around. It was chaos.”
The Nassau County workers were among the first responders from outside the Buffalo area to arrive; they would soon be joined by workers from across the state.
Tuesday morning, the crew arrived at Buffalo State College to fuel up and came across the staging area for other responders that drove to Buffalo on Tuesday. The parking lot appeared to have hundreds of dump trucks that were filled with snow later in the day.
DeLucia
“They were bringing the snow back to the college to get it off of the streets,” said Nassau County Emergency Medical Specialist Rick DeLucia. “There were huge mounds of snow all over the parking lot. It was wild.”
The workers were initially surprised by seeing a large number
of residents walking around during the snow cleanup. They soon learned that most of them were making their way to the store to get critically important items such as medicine and baby formula because there was no way to get to the store other than to walk.
Sadly, that determination led to dire consequences for many people, including 42 individuals who lost their lives.
Imbriale
“The news was reporting that the wind chill was 30 degrees below zero,” said Imbriale. “One of the residents told us that a man died trying to walk to the store; the cold robbed him of his breath and they found him a day later, face down in the snow.”
Numerous people found 8themselves stuck in their vehicles for days. At least one person died from carbon monoxide poisoning after falling asleep in the car with the engine running.
Returning the favor
Even in the depths of despair, faith and kindness still live.
The Nassau County crew was consistently stopped and thanked by both Buffalo workers and residents.
“A City of Buffalo truck would stop and a worker would thank us for our contribution because they were stretched so thin,” said Imbriale. “During Hurricane Sandy, everyone from around the state and country came to help us out; we were glad to return the favor.”
Another resident gave the OEM workers bottled water to thank them for clearing her driveway out. Other people cheered and gave the thumbs up as the CSEA members continued their work.
Urgent needs
Nassau County Emergency Medical Specialist Rob Fineo navigates through snowy conditions. (Photo by
Rick DeLucia)
During their trip, the Nassau County OEM crew received their work orders in the early morning.
Often, they arrived at an area with 3 to 4 feet of untouched snow, stranded cars and residents who were desperate to have the snow cleared so they could take care of their urgent needs.
“The work assignments that we received weren’t always in order,” said Fineo. “A woman who lived around the corner asked us to plow her road because her son was sick and she needed to get his medicine.”
In that case, as well as similar cases, crew members helped the residents before resuming their assigned duties.
“People needed the roads cleared to get electric, gas and oil trucks and other vital utility service providers accessibility to their homes,” said Imbriale. “We did the best that we could to make that happen.”
— Wendi Bowie
