Buffalo's death toll hits 28; city police start 'anti-looting detail'

"Buffalo has been ground-zero for this storm," Brown said. "The impact for this winter storm was the most harsh in Buffalo of Erie County and of Western New York. These are not normal snowfall conditions." 

As the city remained under a driving ban, emergency crews shifted from rescue efforts to snow removal, with 268 pieces of equipment active to clear main and residential streets. Like the storm a month ago that dumped several feet in a short period, the removal leaned away from plows and more toward front loaders picking up snow and dropping it into dump trucks, which were then bound for four dumping sites spread throughout the city.

Cars blocking major thoroughfares and impeding the clearing process would be towed, said Ray Wagner, the city's parking commissioner, directing people to the city's website for how and where drivers could retrieve the vehicles. The city was working with six tow truck companies, he added.

Erie County Executive Mark C. Poloncarz said on Twitter that 100 state troopers and military police had been sent to Buffalo for traffic control and ticketing. The Town of Amherst and cities of Rochester and Syracuse had sent help in the clearing efforts, too, said Nate Marton, the City of Buffalo's Department of Public Works commissioner.

Officials urged drivers to follow the ban and remain patient during the recovery period.

"This is a long, slow process – not a quick call," Marton said. Poloncarz said it would take two days to open a single lane on every city street.

Power outage issues that had plagued as many as 20,000 Buffalonians had dropped to fewer than 4,000 National Grid customers, Brown said. 

"We know how uncomfortable it is," Brown said about not having power. "I know from first-hand experience."

Buffalo Police Department Commissioner Joseph Gramaglia said Tuesday that his team was working through a backlog of 1,000 unanswered calls dating to Friday night. He cited issues with the department's computer system due to volume, but also that many officers were forced to leave their vehicles due to the blizzard and were instead walking stranded people to safety. He said his department's Ford Explorer SUVs could not handle conditions in which city plows and Ford F-350s were getting stuck.

"We were shut down," Gramaglia said. "It was absolute gridlock, snowed in and we couldn't drive anymore. It was demoralizing." 

Gramaglia announced the assembly of an "anti-looting detail," a small police force geared toward identifying the burglars and vandals from what Gramaglia called "opportunistic" crimes at several sites in the city. Among the sites that were looted were reportedly a Dollar General, the Broadway Market and a 7-Eleven. He said the force had made four arrests in the hour preceding the 11 a.m. news conference.

Gramaglia said that the incidents of looting were not for necessities such as food and diapers, but to destroy property and take items such as couches.

"You're destroying your community. It will not be tolerated," Gramaglia said. "We've made it a priority to each of our district detectives. We will put your face on TV."

The commissioner added that there were more than a dozen other natural deaths, too, which were counted separately from the storm-related deaths. 

Brown emphasized that the City of Buffalo was prepared for a life-threatening storm, with driving bans in place at 9:30 a.m. Friday and city alerts sent to prepare for potential loss of power and an extended period without food.

"Any loss of life is a very painful thing for all of us. We were prepared in advance for this storm, we believed this would be a life-threatening storm and we put that out to the public in a number of different ways," Brown said.