Residents of a Western NY beach town ordered to evacuate due to winter storm flood warnings

This weekend’s winter storm is forecast to bring rain, wind, and snow and one Western New York town is being ordered to evacuate for safety.

According to News 4 Buffalo, Hamburg Town Supervisor Randy Hoak said residents of Hoover Beach must be evacuated by 8 p.m. Thursday night. The area sits on Lake Erie where the storm is expected to bring about a rapid rise in water levels and heavy flooding.

Areas along the Upper Niagara River are forecast may be affected as well.

Hoover Beach is less than 10 miles south of Buffalo and a 10 minute drive from Buffalo Bills’ Highmark Stadium.

Residents are leaving to stay with relatives or hotels, but it’s not clear yet how long they will have to remain away from their homes.

The area was visited by The Weather Channel’s Jim Cantore last month when a November storm buried Hamburg around 80 inches of snow, the most the greater Buffalo area had seen.

“Just when you think it couldn’t get any worse, it does,” said Sean Crotty, Hamburg emergency manager told Buffalo News. “It really is a recipe for the perfect storm for them.”

This is not the first time Hoover Beach has gotten the brunt of storms. In recent years, powerful waves have pushed houses off their foundations or encased homes in layers of ice. During 2019, residents of Hoover Beach experienced a powerful February storm system which brought brutal winds and widespread power outages.

The Lakeshore flood warning is in place from 7 a.m. Friday morning to 7 p.m. Saturday night. The National Weather Service said flooding is likely along Route 5 in Hamburg, Buffalo Harbor, Canalside, Buffalo Riverworks, Dunkirk Harbor, the Hoover Beach and Woodlawn areas in Hamburg, Old First ward in South Buffalo, and other flood prone locations.

Along the Upper Niagara River, flooding is reported to likely to affect Grand Island, Cayuga Island, and beneath the North Grand Island bridge at the Lasalle Expressway ramps.

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