BUFFALO, N.Y. — With potential power outages Tuesday, and the possibility of trees coming down, there are some things you can do to get ready for what's coming.
2 On Your Side talked with a spokesperson for National Grid Monday afternoon. He says to make sure your devices are charged in case you lose power.
2 On Your Side also met up with the chair of a group that is on a mission to replant trees across Western New York.
Paul Maurer with Re-Tree WNY knows a thing or two about trees and storms. Since the October surprise storm in 2006, his group has replanted more than 30,000 trees. He's concerned about Tuesday.
"We're going to see a different wind pattern and we've got soaking wet roots because of the snow that we've had in this area and the rain that we've had quite a bit lately, so that contributes to the weakening of the tree itself," said Paul Maurer, Chair of Re-Tree WNY.
We met up with Maurer on South Park Avenue where Re-Tree planted a bunch of trees about 15 years ago. For this storm, he's worried about older evergreen trees with shallow roots.
"They probably are oriented because of so many years of having the wind blow them a certain way that they've already developed their roots to be strong with that kind of facing," said Paul Maurer.
To help with any power outages, National Grid is staging crews all over our region and beyond.
"Our crews are already being positioned across Western New York, across all of Upstate New York, that's the severity of the event that's planned. It's not just here, it's Central and Eastern New York as well," said David Bertola, National Grid Spokesperson.
National Grid is asking you to call 911 if you see a power line down in your neighborhood.
"Just remain in your home, and if you see a line down, always assume it's live," said David Bertola.
And since trees might come down, Maurer had this suggestion if you don't have a garage.
"I would say make sure if you're parking a car, not to park it in the path of that southeast wind coming across towards that tree," said Paul Maurer.
If you do lose power, don't assume National Grid knows about it. Bertola says you should log onto the outage map if you can still get online and let them know you don't have power.