As the blizzard raged overnight in Buffalo, the mother of a 1-year-old who needs a ventilator spent all night Friday manually operating the machine to keep the child breathing, squeezing the bag with her hands.
The baby and mother are in an apartment on Donovan Drive, close to Erie County Medical Center, she said and authorities confirmed Saturday morning.
But with the blizzard blasting the region, emergency vehicles have been unable to get to the calls. At least 10 Buffalo fire trucks got stuck Friday night and numerous police vehicles and ambulances have also gotten stuck in the heavy snow and blustery winds that have reduced visibility to zero in many locations.
"No one can get to the home because of how bad it was," Erie County Mark Poloncarz said at an 8 a.m. storm briefing about the baby.
Buffalo Police Commissioner Joseph Gramaglia said city first responders know about the baby and have been trying to figure out a way to get there.
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"If we could get there we would," he said. "It is so bad out. We're getting stuck all over the place." Buffalo police rescued at least 60 people who were stranded in vehicles overnight, he said.
"It is our No. 1 priority," said Dan Neaverth, the county Commissioner of Emergency Services of the situation with the baby.
Getting a generator to the home has so far been impossible. Officials also have talked about moving the baby to a different location. "But we can't take the baby without risking his life," Poloncarz said.
The mother has posted increasingly desperate pleas for help on Facebook.
"No power or heat & I got a baby on a ventilator," she wrote at 9:25 p.m. Friday.
"My phone is on 1 and about to die," she wrote at 2:14 a.m. "... if anyone sends help I’ll still be here manually giving my son breaths thank you and stay blessed."
Then she posted this morning: "8AM STILL NO HELP THIS CANT ... BE REAL MAN," she wrote.
Numerous people on Facebook have been trying to help her and send words of encouragement. There were reports an ambulance was trying to make its way to her but it had not showed up by the morning.
Mayor Byron Brown said midmorning Saturday that city and county officials were working on trying to get first responders on snowmobiles to the apartment.
