Really bad weather beat on Buffalo, NY

WOW.. we just traveled to Buffalo, and it is unreal; almost every tree in the city has branches that got weighed down and busted off from the heavy, wet, early snow that hit the past few days. Thousands of houses are without power, and the side streets look like a war zone; downed tree limbs, electrical wires.. it is horrific. I feel bad for my family members there and in Tonawanda; my sis/bro in law's basement is in danger of flooding cuz their sump pump is electrical and they're power-less. most people w/cordless home phones or cells that need charging, have dead batteries and need to charge their cell phones in their car!!
You cannot find a generator in any of the stores; lines have formed at many places, with people just waiting in case generators do arrive. This is absolute insanity. Every other traffic light is out.. people are driving as if it were a state of anarchy. And word is, power won't be fully restored for another 8 days or so...
Here are some shots of a park by my mom's house, and her street..

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v6...ive/storm4.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v6...ive/storm1.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v6...ive/storm3.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v6...ive/storm2.jpg

oh man i am not looking forword to the snow, brrrrrrr. i am glad it didn't get to me (not to far from there). i hope your mom is ok.

They're doing OK; mostly she is helping my grandparents who live in the same house. Funny thing is, they have no electricity, but the people on the other side of the street do!! So luckily, they can at least get coffee and bathe over there; they do have hot water but the ignotors on the stoves are elec. and my mom refuses to lihgt it with a lighter, heh.

Oh icky! How surreal it must have been to be in that snowstorm when all the trees are still green, even! Poor trees and plants just weren't ready for winter yet. :( And my heart definitely goes out to everyone that has to deal with lack of power for that long. Ouchies!

I know; we are out in the mid. of nowhere yet our power is intact; yet here are people in the heart of the city with nothing.. it hurts to look at all those poor trees too; the city has a rich history with the Olmstead Parks systems; a lot of it was damaged. But nature renews herself... Now if my mom/grandparents weren't so stubborn as to refuse to come out and stay here where it's warm and toasty; lol.

The news just stated that FEMA should be sending some money to help people out.. and my sister informed me that they found a small generator so their sump pump can work and get the water out of their basement.. but no one that was without power that I know of, has it now.. crap!