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Buffalo area on edge: Possible flooding could prompt evacuations

Warm temperatures are melting last week's gigantic snowfall in western New York
Western New York faces flooding after record snow 02:30

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- Families in the Buffalo area rushed to pack up their valuables and schools closed in advance - not of snow, but possible flooding.

Temperatures were expected to hit nearly 60 degrees on Monday, causing residents to prepare for evacuations that could be prompted by runoff from melting snow, and overflowing creeks.

"Hopefully the rain won't be here until later and this will be a slow thaw, but flooding is our major, major concern here," said Michelle Pikula, whose house is along the Buffalo Creek.

The National Weather Service has issued a flood warning for Monday and cautioned that trees weakened by heavy snowfall and saturated soil could come crashing down.

Officials said rain overnight into Monday amounted to about one-tenth of an inch across the areas that had received the heaviest snowfall. Forecasts call for rain showers on Monday and a chance of rain and snow showers by early Tuesday.

High wind gusts of up to 60 mph also could topple electrical wires and trigger power outages.

After heavy snow, Buffalo braces for flooding 02:28

Gov. Andrew Cuomo Sunday warned residents in flood-prone areas around Buffalo to move valuables up from the basement, pack a bag and prepare for the possibility of evacuation.

"Err on the side of caution," Cuomo said at a news conference in Cheektowaga. "You prepare for the worst and hope for the best, and that's what we're doing."

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With much higher temperatures prevailing, Erie County Holding Center inmates help pile sandbags on November 23, 2014 to prepare for possible flooding in wake of massive snow storm in Williamsville, New York REUTERS

"People say, 'Ya know, well my home doesn't flood.' I know, but there is always a first time, and we're seeing first times all the time now, " Cuomo pointed out. " ... Pack a bag, have your important papers and be ready to leave the house."

Cuomo said evacuation plans and emergency shelters were being readied in case of flooding. As a backup to Red Cross shelters, Cuomo said the state would have shelters at community colleges and state university campuses.

Snowbound western New York braces for flooding 02:25

CBS News correspondent Jericka Duncan reports the National Guard is at the ready, with pumps, generators, water rescue teams, sandbags and boats.

Guard members spent Sunday clearing storm drains and culverts to facilitate runoff, and shoveling snow off roofs.

CBS Buffalo affiliate WIVB-TV says 50 National Guard troops took their equipment to one of the hardest hit snow zones, West Seneca on Sunday night, and worked for hours clearing snow from houses and loading 1,000 sandbags to help the low-lying area handle potential floods.

Despite the threat of rising waters, Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown says he's encouraged by his city's response so far.

"The amazing thing is, (in) six days, over six feet of snow that fell on this community and we are at 100 percent of streets open," he told Duncan.

Most snow-affected school districts remain closed Monday, and at least four called off classes for the entire Thanksgiving week.

In Hamburg, Pete Yeskoot bought a portable generator to make sure his sump pump will keep working once the roughly 80 inches of snow that fell on his property melts. Possessions are up on blocks in the basement and he has food for several days.

"Behind us is an 18-mile creek, so everything in the village will come through us at some point, so we have to get ready for the possibility of flooding," he said. "And given all this snow, we have to expect that this is real."

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