Postcard from... Buffalo

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Hundreds of volunteers turned out in a “shovel brigade” over the weekend to help beleaguered Buffalo residents dig out after they were pummeled by snow from Lake Erie.

“They’re like angels,” said Kevin Masterson, 61, after a handful of volunteers swarmed in to free his and his brother-in-law’s cars from the drifts. “I was out shovelling and... all of the sudden I had all these people.”

Temperatures in the Buffalo area climbed close to 10°C yesterday, raising fears of flooding in the region. One of the volunteers, Greg Schreiber, said he’d keep going “until the back gives out”.

City officials said residents should prepare for the possibility of flooded basements in the coming days.

The threat of rain also heightened fears of roof collapses on already strained structures. Thirty major collapses have been reported.

The state already is moving stockpiles of pumps, sand bags and other flood provisions into the region. A ban on driving will continue in hard-hit South Buffalo as hundreds of dump trucks, loaders and other snow removal equipment continue to work around the clock.

The snow, which began late on Monday, has been blamed for at least 12 deaths. AP