For Jean Pustulka and many other Western New Yorkers Wednesday night, driving conditions were downright dangerous.
"The entire city was grid locked. A light would change 12-15 times and a car wouldn't move through the intersection because there was nowhere to go," said Pustulka.
Pustulka was trying to get home to Angola. She left Tonawanda around noon and found herself in near whiteout conditions after a few hours, especially when she hit downtown Buffalo.
"Traffic was at a standstill," she said.
After traveling all day and getting nowhere, Jean decided to take a break from the storm at Monte's Deli on Swan Street. What she found inside truly warmed her heart.
"They extended themselves over and beyond," she said.
She met the store's owner Esther, who invited her in for food and a warm place to stay.
"There were people waiting, even parents outside waiting for their kids and I said 'come in and get warm'," said Esther Montes.
Needing to get home, she decided to trek back out in the weather, only to have her windshield wipers break. Jean ended up staying at a hotel, and when she got home she had three messages from the folks at Monte's checking in on her and making sure she made it home safe.
"I was just so overwhelmed by their kindness for a complete stranger," said Jean.
