A stranded Buffalo family was rescued from the area’s snow-choked roads by local firefighters who gave them the best present of all — Christmas.
Demetrice and Danielle Tisdale of Williamsville and their children — Aayden, 8, Aubree, 4, Jordynn, 2, and Judah, 9 months — planned on checking into a hotel when they lost power at their home Friday, CNN reported.
But before long, the family found themselves among hundreds of people stranded on local roads in what Gov. Kathy Hochul called an “epic, once-in-a-lifetime storm” that devastated the area with heavy snow and frigid temperatures.
“It was like looking at a white piece of construction paper, you couldn’t see anything at all,” Danielle told CNN Monday of the deadly white-out conditions.
The Tisdales and their kids were rescued by firefighters Friday and stayed for Christmas. Twitter/@BUFAirportLuckily, the Tisdales were among 36 people rescued by firefighters from the Buffalo Airport. As the only motorists with small children, the family was invited to spend Christmas Eve and Christmas Day keeping warm at the firehouse.
“Aayden was so excited that Santa would know he was here and he would get to celebrate at a real firehouse, and we didn’t want to disappoint,” Joel Eberth, assistant chief of the Buffalo Airport Fire Department, told the outlet.
“We were able to find several items in the firehouse to wrap for the family, and with the amazing help from the field office delivering some items from the terminal, we were able to make sure Santa paid a visit.”
Santa Claus paid a visit to the Tisdale children at the station. Twitter/@BUFAirportDuring their stay, Aayden was also treated to a firefighter uniform and official T-shirt and learned about how first responders handle dispatch.
“It was an amazing experience for our firefighters, and it definitely made us better people,” Eberth said of the encounter.
Now safely back home, this Tisdales are enjoying winding down from their special holiday.
A fire official said the experience “definitely made us better people.” Twitter/@BUFAirport“[We’re feeling] pretty tired but blessed,” Demetrice told CNN.
As of Monday morning, 27 upstate residents were reported dead as the Arctic blast continues to bear down on the Midwest and eastern United States.
“There may be more [deaths] because we know there are people stuck in cars for more than two days,” Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz has warned. “And there are people in homes that are below freezing now.”
