On this date in 1977, an epic
snowstorm struck Buffalo, N.Y. By the time it ended four days later, the
storm had claimed 29 lives and caused $300 million in damage. This became the first time that the aftermath of a
blizzard was ruled a federal disaster. The official accumulation was only 12 in but the high and sustained
winds blew all the snow off frozen Lake Erie nearly burying downtown Buffalo. The intense cold
temperatures added to the misery. At the city zoo, 8-foot snow drifts allowed reindeer to step over their fence and wander freely around town.
