South Buffalo residents: “Where are all of our plows”

BUFFALO, NY (WKBW) — Some south Buffalo residents say they've been trapped by heavy snowfall since Thursday without seeing a plow.

“The side streets are just taking a beating and we can't put it anywhere else,” replied Katie Haller, Yale Street resident. “Where are all of our plows? Where are all of our pay loaders?”

It was impassable Monday morning on Yale Place in south Buffalo between Legion and Seneca streets with at least three feet of snow in the middle of the street.

I found Katie and Jeff Haller, who has lived on Yale Place for 30 years, trying to dig out an elderly neighbor's sidewalk.

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With snow piled snow high in the middle of the street, they couldn't even use the snow blower. 

“But I can't bring it across the street to help these people, so here we are shoveling,” explained Jeff Haller. 

“We can walk where ever we need to get to, but I'm young — elderly people can't do that — they can't have family to come in to get them ‘cause no one can get anywhere,” described Katie Haller. 

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I called the Mayor's spokesman as soon as we saw the situation on this street. He promised residents would soon see relief and shortly before noon a front loader appeared to begin clearing the snow.

But in another part of south Buffalo residents living on the very last stretch of Selkirk tell me they haven't seen a plow and never do. 

“There is no plow that has been down your street at all? Whatsoever?” Buckley asked. “Oh no. We don't get plows down here — never,” responded Timothy Horning, resident. 

That part of Selkirk dead ends, but there are about five homes and a business on this stretch.

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“It's always been like this. This is the very last street to get plowed. It's the last street to get any help whatsoever,” remarked Debbie Grekulack, resident. “Our garbage trucks, recycling trucks come down — pick up the loads. They back up into the dead end and then swing out. The plows can do that. The plows can plow the snow into the dead end. All we want is at least one swipe down.”

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Residents Horning and Grekulack tell me there have been no plows and they've been stuck since Thursday.  

“The city says every year — 'we have a new plan. We have a new plan’ — your GPS plan didn't work. It malfunctioned within 24 hours of you releasing it Friday. It said our street was plowed. I have pictures to show it wasn't plowed,” Grekulack noted. 

Residents say they want the mayor to hear their pleas.

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“Hopefully you know they don't forget about us so much you know,” Horning remarked.

“I will sit down and have coffee with him. I will make tea. A beer if that's what the mayor wants. He needs to come down here and see first hand this is the neighborhood. These are your voters — let's get out and start helping them,” described Grekulack. “We are what I call the forgotten street.”

For now, residents say all they can do is wait and hope for plows.