BUFFALO, N.Y. — Ahead of a major winter storm set to hit Western New York over the weekend, Erie County officials held a press conference to share the actions the county will be taking during the storm.
Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz announced that beginning at 7 a.m. on Friday, all of Erie County will be under a State of Emergency.
As of Thursday afternoon, a driving ban is not being planned. However, Poloncarz said that one would be implemented if conditions warrant one.
The holiday is being kept in mind, but officials are asking that people take care of business on Thursday. This includes getting grocery shopping done, even with the crowds.
"We highly recommend that private business close tomorrow and Saturday," Poloncarz said.
In addition to issuing a State of Emergency, the county has asked that New York Power Authority increase the amount of water that is taken in through Niagara Falls to help reduce the water in the Niagara River to help reduce the amount of flooding that could take place along the river.
Poloncarz did acknowledge that taking in more water would not help with any flood that could happen along Lake Erie. He reported that the National Weather Service is projecting up to 20 foot waves, which could overcome the protections that the Army Corps of Engineers put in place near St. Francis High School.
Power outages are expects, officials encouraged people to be prepared - having electronics charges, batteries in flashlights, proper generator safety.
Crews are also out now to pretreat roads ahead of the flash freeze.
"I hope you have a good holiday, although it might be a different holiday than you originally planned," Poloncarz said.
While he did encourage people to stay home, he did mention that one special person would be able to get around still.
"For the record there will not be a flying ban, Santa Clause will be able to fly in," Poloncarz said.
For more Storm Team 2 coverage:
Watch the full press conference: