BUFFALO, N.Y. — While wind gusts reached up to 74 mph in some areas of Western New York, the damage wasn't as bad as expected.
"We did hear yesterday a little less than 10 houses that had trees in them across the county, which is actually a lot lower than we were anticipating," Mark Poloncarz, Erie County Executive, said.
Houses, street lights, and county buildings all sustained damage, but it wasn't enough to cause concern.
"So people are thinking, 'oh this is going to get a state of emergency a declaration associated with that.' We have not sustained enough damage to even think of that," Poloncarz said.
However, that doesn't mean some houses didn't experience significant damage. A tree fell on a house on Wyoming Avenue in Buffalo. No one was injured, but there is visible damage.
When something like that happens, AAA said the first thing you should do call your insurance agency.
"You want to talk to your agent first. We are the experts. This is what we do," Victor Johnson Jr., an insurance agent with AAA, said.
These issues aren't a 'one size fits all' problem.
"It depends on if it's the tree in your yard. If it's the tree in the neighbors yard," Johnson said.
Those are just two of the factors that go into assessing damages. Varying insurance policies cover different types of damage. Depending on the severity, you may want to handle the problem by yourself.
“Type of debris hitting someones windshield and cracking the windshield. That could be a matter of a small ding on the windshield that’s a $65 repair, but you have $500 deductible,” Johnson said.
