Report on Christmas week blizzard cites bad communication and software issues

The state didn’t adequately communicate the severity of the blizzard ahead of its arrival, and sometimes sent confusing messages during and after the storm.

Erie County uses an older version of the state’s software for emergency response that makes it hard to use and relay information – and the software itself is difficult to navigate.

Those are some of the key takeaways from a 49-page report on the state’s response to the Blizzard of 2022, released Friday by the state.

The after-action review was commissioned by the State Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services and conducted by Guidehouse, a consulting firm, which said it reviewed more than 1,300 pages of documentation, from internal email briefings to weather reports, interviews with 50 people from the state, local agencies and private sector and a focus group of Buffalo residents who experienced the blizzard. They mirror many of the same criticisms and recommendations in a report conducted by researchers at New York University commissioned by the City of Buffalo to review the city’s response.

The review made numerous recommendations for improvements that Homeland Security Commissioner Jackie Bray told The Buffalo News she is taking to heart. She said members of her division are working to address them before the next winter season arrives.

“The challenge of this storm was not about personnel and equipment,” Bray said. “Frankly, I wish it was. Those are challenges we all know how to fix. This was about access and mobility. Those are challenges that are much harder to solve.”

The blizzard hit the morning of Dec. 23 and lasted through Christmas morning, causing whiteout conditions that made even walking outside perilous. Heavy lake-effect snow continued for the next several days. More than 100,000 people lost power, including about 30,000 in Erie…