"Western New York Braces For Flooding As Heavy Snow Melts"

"BUFFALO -- The area around Buffalo, New York braced on Sunday for potential flooding as warming temperatures began to melt up to seven feet (2 meters) of snow that fell in a record snow storm last week in which 13 people died.

More than 650 members of the New York National Guard were in Erie county and Buffalo to help with snow removal and flood prevention, and hundreds of volunteers fanned out over the city to help dig out homes still buried in snow.

Recent rain compacted high banks of snow and made it heavy to dig out."

Mark Blinch reports for Reuters November 23, 2014.