Buffalo: Ryan announces emergency trash pickup for areas affected by flooding

UPDATE: Please see an update on emergency trash pickup locations and resources for residents here: www.buffalony.gov/flooding.

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Submitted by the Office of City of Buffalo Mayor Sean Ryan

Mayor Sean Ryan today announced the City of Buffalo will conduct an emergency trash pickup on Monday, Sept. 7, to assist Buffalo residents whose homes were impacted by flooding caused by Thursday evening’s intense rainstorms.

City crews are actively assessing affected neighborhoods and identifying streets eligible for the emergency collection. Routes will be scheduled based on the areas most heavily impacted by Thursday evening’s intense bands of rain, supplemented by flood-related reports received through the city’s 311 system. Residents who experienced flooding can alert the city by calling 311 or by using the Buffalo 311 app or online reporting system.

“Many of our neighbors are facing a difficult cleanup after serious flooding, and our team is working quickly across city departments to get this emergency pickup up and running and provide residents with the help they need,” Ryan said. “We are mobilizing our crews, identifying the hardest-hit areas, and coordinating every part of our response so we can remove damaged materials, document the extent of the flooding, and help affected households begin to recover.”

Buffalo Common Council President Joel Feroleto said, “Residents whose homes were flooded are facing an incredibly difficult cleanup, and I appreciate the Ryan administration’s swift response to help. This emergency curbside pickup will give affected residents the weekend to remove damaged items from their homes and have them collected on Monday.” 

Residents in the affected area with flood-damaged bulk items should place them at the curb by 7 a.m. Monday, Sept. 7. Keep items clear of fire hydrants, vehicles, trees, utility poles, and the roadway.

Construction debris, including drywall, ceiling tiles and floor tiles, will not be accepted as part of the emergency collection due to federal regulations. Televisions, computers, tires, paint and other hazardous materials are also ineligible for the emergency collection. Residents can visit BuffaloRecycles.org or call 311 for information about properly disposing of these materials.

Additional information about Monday’s emergency collection will be shared via the media and through the City of Buffalo’s official social media channels.

The city is also urging residents whose homes were affected by the flooding to document their damage through New York state’s individual assistance damage self-report tool, available at https://on.ny.gov/3xLeNbY. Information submitted through the survey will help state and local officials assess the full extent of the damage and determine whether the area may qualify for a U.S. Small Business Administration disaster declaration. Residents’ participation is essential to ensuring that local damage is fully documented and considered during the review process.

The survey is not an application for financial assistance, and submitting a report does not guarantee that assistance will become available. If an SBA disaster declaration is approved, eligible homeowners, renters, businesses, and private nonprofit organizations in the declared county and neighboring counties may be able to apply for low-interest physical disaster loans to help repair or replace uninsured, disaster-damaged property.

Residents should safely photograph damage before discarding affected property and retain relevant receipts, repair estimates, and insurance documentation.