Cleanup continues after fierce, destructive windstorm in Western New York

Utilities said they were making progress in restoring power to customers.

National Grid said 1,000 additional crew members from other utilities and contractors were brought into the region ahead of the storm, in light of the dire weather forecast. Those crews were brought in to both assess damage and restore power.

And more crew members were due to flow into the region on Sunday, said David Bertola, a spokesman for the power company. "More help is on the way."

Bertola said the storm's severe and prolonged winds posed a challenge to crews who worked late Saturday into Sunday. Even as they restored power to some areas, other areas lost power amid the fierce conditions, he said.

The destruction was extensive. National Grid reported 110 broken power poles, the result of wind driving trees into the poles. And 75 transformers were damaged and needed replacing. 

"This is a really unique, powerful event," Bertola said.

The hardest hit areas were along Lake Erie and Lake Ontario, he said. The counties hardest hit by the storm in Western New York were Niagara, Erie and Genesee counties. 

National Grid was distributing dry ice and bottled water at four locations from noon to 4 p.m. Sunday: JFK Community Center, 114 Hickory St., Buffalo; Niagara Falls Fire Station No. 8, 320 Hyde Park Blvd., Niagara Falls; Murphy Training Center, 665 Brigham Road, Dunkirk; and City of Batavia Fire Dept., 18 Evans St., Batavia.

As of late Sunday morning, National Grid reported 11,378 customers were without power, including 10,379 of its Erie County customers. 

New York State Electric and Gas reported 5,665 customers in Erie County were without power, and 288 in Niagara County.

The City of Buffalo on Sunday said Bird Island Pier and Centennial Park remained closed to allow workers to remove debris. Broderick Park and Erie Basin Marina had reopened.

The city received more than 70 tree-related calls Saturday and addressed half of them, spokesman Michael DeGeorge said. Crews were continuing that work on Sunday, giving priority to incidents involving trees blocking roadways.

City officials urged residents to call 911 to report a tree blocking a road, sidewalk or driveway. Other issues, such as branches on lawns that need picking up, can be called into 311.

DeGeorge said city crews often cut and stacked trees or large branches alongside a road for later pickup by a separate crew. Those pickups will happen throughout the week.

Trees with wires intertwined take longer to clean up, while city and National Grid crews coordinate to ensure the wires are de-energized, he said.

The city's Public Works Department received more than 20 traffic signal-related reports. DeGeorge said crews were working on those Sunday, and it was expected that new issues would arise as National Grid works to restore power at certain locations.

The storm damaged the exterior of the Great Northern grain elevator on Ganson Street, ripping off a section of the outer structure.

The grain elevator is owned by ADM Milling Co., a division of commodities giant Archers Daniel Midland, at 250 Ganson St. The grain elevator opened for business in 1897 and was last used in 1981. It sits next to a flour mill that was added later and is still in operation. 

A spokesman for Illinois-based ADM did not return a message to comment on Sunday.

The high winds and surge of water in the Niagara River were believed to have pushed over the brink of the American Falls a car that had been stuck there since Wednesday. New York State park police said there were no eyewitness reports of when the car went over the falls.