BUFFALO, N.Y. — We've had a lake effect snow storm, a blizzard, an earthquake, and now an ice storm. Everything is frozen, from icy cars to sidewalks and trees.
Channel 2 took to the streets Thursday to see how Buffalo handled the aftermath of Wednesday's winter storm. The first person we met was Dennis Randall.
"I went out to help my daughter clean her car off, so I started mine up, turned the defoggers on. Came back out, scraped the ice off my windshield, and it was all cracked," Randall said.
He believes the crack happened from the defogger's heat expanding the contracted windshield. Ironically, his truck just passed state inspection.
"It surprised me. I was happy I got my inspection done yesterday because there's no way it would've passed today. It's just one of those things we deal with in Buffalo," Randall said.
He's right. Some residents seemed to be unfazed, braving the icy conditions. Others took smaller steps on their walk.
"The ice is a little unusual to us. Snow is not unusual, but it's a little difficult," Anthony Brown said, adding, "I'm hoping it warms up. I was just saying down the street, please warm up."
Meanwhile, others are getting in an unwanted workout clearing sidewalks. It's a law for property owners to clear them, so residents don't have to walk in the street. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, every year, about 1 million Americans injure themselves walking on snow and ice.
"You just got to walk like a penguin to be safe, but lots of cars have ice flying off. I saw it on the 33 on the way in. So try to scrape off before you hit the road," John Carroll said.
That's why you have to be extra cautious when you take your walk. In most cases, you can blame property owners who fail to clear their sidewalks and driveways.
New York state law requires private property owners to clear snow or ice from the driveway and sidewalks in front and adjacent to their property.
If the ice is too thick to clear, Attorney Stephen Ciocca says the law requires you to spread ashes, sawdust, or some other material to give pedestrians some traction.