Evacuations at Sunset Bay and Hanford Bay, while some stay in Hoover Beach despite mandatory evacuation

And in Hamburg, about a dozen families elected to stay in their homes at Hoover Beach, Hamburg Supervisor Randy Hoak said.

The Chautauqua County evacuation is part of a local emergency declaration and travel advisory for the county. All lakefront areas north of the railroad tracks are being evacuated.

A mandatory evacuation is in effect for properties along the Lake Erie shoreline in the Village of Silver Creek. And residents living along the lake in the City of Dunkirk and the towns of Dunkirk, Pomfret, Portland and Ripley are strongly urged to evacuate.

“With this winter storm, we are seeing high winds and rapidly rising water levels,” Chautauqua County Executive P.J. Wendel said. “This could cause extensive lakeshore flooding, the potential for seiches that could be as high as 24 feet and damage, especially to those communities who are susceptible to flooding or homeowners who have property directly on the Lake Erie shoreline.”

The Town of Evans issued voluntary evacuations for Lake Erie Beach, Grandview Bay, Purvis Landing and Wendt Beach, which include all the low-lying areas on the town’s waterfront, according to the Evans Police Facebook page.

At Hoover Beach in Hamburg, some homes are on higher ground at the neighborhood, where the town issued a mandatory evacuation order Thursday.

"Early reports indicated that most of the beach had evacuated. However it appears as though there's a dozen or more families that did decide to stay. So, that's certainly a concern as the storm progresses," Hoak said.

Flooding also is likely along Route 5 and Woodlawn in Hamburg, Buffalo Harbor, Canalside, Buffalo RiverWorks, Dunkirk Harbor and the Old First Ward, according to the National Weather Service. Flooding along the upper Niagara River also could affect Grand Island, Cayuga Island and beneath the North Grand Island bridges at the LaSalle Expressway ramps.

"So, we know that there's more to come, that there's the impact of the seiche, as well as some bigger waves that we're anticipating as the storm and the winds continue to grow in intensity," Hoak said.

There are several roads closed throughout the town and power outages because of downed tree limbs, Hoak said. Power company crews are working to restore power, he added.

There also are some stranded motorists. 

"There is a driving ban, of course, but there's a lot of folks who, you know, their work may have just closed. There's folks that are essential employees. So we do have some disabled vehicles, and our police officers are working directly in our highway department with them to get those folks back on the road," Hoak said.

He said he hopes that roads closed because of downed trees and wires will reopen in several hours.