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The risk of flooding in Buffalo and western New York is dissipating as state officials look to Washington for help recovering from last week’s storm, which dropped as much as 2.1 meters of snow on the area.

Governor Andrew Cuomo said Sunday that residents in the Buffalo area should prepare to evacuate as spring-like temperatures mixed with rain. Monday, with less precipitation than forecast and the flood threat declining, the governor said the next step is to tally the costs with a goal of meeting the minimum $27 million needed to receive federal disaster aid.

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“The aftermath is going to be dealing with the financial ramifications,” Cuomo said at a press briefing in Cheektowaga, a town east of Buffalo. “Many local governments spent their entire budget on snow removal in the past week, and the winter hasn’t even started.”

The snow was caused by lake-effect storms, which occur when cold air passes over relatively warm water. The pre-winter blast killed at least 12 people, most from heart attacks. It left houses buried to the eaves and cars entombed on highways.

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