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West Seneca residents prepare for potential floods

Ashley Hirtzel
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WBFO News

West Seneca homeowners are preparing for possible ice jam flooding on Buffalo Creek as temperatures warm up Friday. Residents in the Lexington Green neighborhood have already experienced multiple major thaws this season and are hoping the worst of it is behind them.

Large portable water pumps have been installed and a sandbag berm is currently lining the creek behind many homes in the area.

Lou Monaco says people in the area feel helpless as there’s no real way to prepare for a flood.

“I lost everything in the cellar. All of my life long furnishings, all of my pictures, cloths, hot water tank, and furnace, wash and dryer. Gone.  So, I made the [sandbag] barriers, but to tell you the truth I hope to never have to find out,” said Monaco.

Credit Ashley Hirtzel / WBFO News
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WBFO News
Large portable water pumps remove overflowing water.

Jonny Robbins says it’s taken over a month to clean up his damaged basement from the last two thaws.

“Forty plus feet of my basement wall was laying on the floor. It blew the whole wall out. We had to put in all new appliances, new furnace, new hot water tank, and sump pump, all of the duct work. Now, they are finishing up my back door so I can lock my house up and move back in,” said Robbins.

Robbins says he would like New York State to step in with aid West Seneca residents being affected by Buffalo Creek ice jam floods.

Credit Ashley Hirtzel / WBFO News
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WBFO News
Sandbag berm is lining the creek behind homes in the Lexington Green neighborhood.

“Do you want to buy my house? Nobody else wants to either. See, that’s our problem. That’s our dilemma. We’re stuck here. We’re stuck here for a long time. Nobody will buy these houses,” said Robbins.

Recently, Governor Cuomo brought up to possibility of buying out West Seneca flood victims. Normally, when homes are affected by weather issues the federal government steps in to buyout homes. But, Cuomo says he's going to be talking with state legislators about the possibility.

Credit Ashley Hirtzel / WBFO News
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WBFO News
Sandbags line the perimeter of West Seneca residents home.

American Red Cross volunteers have set up shelters and are on standby this weekend, to help victims of Buffalo Creek flooding in West Seneca.