Buffalo Storm

So I, Cass, have sashayed and pirouetted around anonymity, but the reality is this: I, Cass, disbelieved prophetess of a place like Troy, was born and raised in Buffalo. You may have guessed this already, given the innumerable references to my hockey team, the Sabres.

Being from Buffalo, I have learned that when people ask you where you're from and you tell them the truth, they respond in one of two ways. They either remind you that the Buffalo Bills lost four straight Super Bowls (as if you actually might have missed that), or they make a comment about the weather: "lot of snow up there" (no shit jackass). A few total pricks offer their condolences; ironic, seeing as they always seem to be the ones who originate from places like Philly or Arkansas.

Anyway, my stomach remains in knots as many in my fair city face day six without power or heat. In case you missed it, an October snowstorm (the National Weather Service is calling it the 150 Year Storm) the likes of which even Buffalo has never seen, dumped three feet of snow on the city and suburbs on Thursday night. The city and its trees were not prepared. The weight of the snow toppled trees all over the region; someone told me it looks like a helicopter flew down his street and took off all the tree tops, leaving stumps behind. My brother told me I won't recognize Delaware Park (designed by Olmsted and home to some 100-year-old trees). Power lines and fallen trees blocked roads. There was a driving ban for a while. And close to a half a million people were without heat and power since the storm. Some regained power only to lose it again. Some have yet to regain power at all and have been living by candlelight, eating perishables, and going across town to take a shower at a friend's. Refrigerators smell like the dead. My aunt currently has a tree laying in her living room. Friends and family say they've never seen anything like it. In pictures, the place looks like a war zone.

Last time I noticed, FEMA pledged $5 million in aid to the area. And so my question is this: where is the national media freaking out in op-ed pieces? Where is Kanye West screaming about Bush not caring about people in Buffalo? They're nowhere to be found because Buffalonians accept a basic principle: it's a storm; they happen; and storms don't discriminate. They just dump 3 feet of snow and leave. People in Buffalo aren't whining or moaning, and hell they every reason to be: the novelty has worn off and they're probably cold, hungry, and dirty. And that's why I love them...they're tough. And they keep things in perspective...see photo. So, yeah, I Cass, am from Buffalo.