This Buffalo barber turned his shop into a shelter from a deadly winter storm
City officials said 27 people have died due to the blizzard, along with at least seven suburban fatalities
Craig Elston did not picture himself spending Christmas inside his barbershop, but the deadly blizzard in Buffalo, N.Y., left him stranded.
On Friday, Elston looked out his window at C & C Cutz to a complete whiteout. He couldn't see more than two feet ahead. And just as he thought about what he'd do, alone at the shop, a client walked in — and asked for a haircut.
"I thought he was absolutely crazy," Elston told As It Happens guest host Helen Mann. That man ended up being trapped with the owner, who eventually cut his hair.
A few more people trickled into the shop and the barber decided to keep his business running to give his neighbours shelter.
He cranked up the heat and fed them hot pockets, noodles and Vienna sausages from nearby stores where stranded shop owners had also stayed open. The people sheltering in the barbershop were able to charge their phones and call their families.
As word got out about his shop, Elston heard some harrowing stories about others who were stuck in the storm.
"I seen a person on Facebook lay face first in the snow. And it broke my heart," he said.
"At that point, it was game on. I'm going to help whoever I can help. I'm not going to let nobody that's in this area go without shelter."
Elston urged people in the area stuck in cars to come to the barbershop:
A deadly snowstorm
The blizzard hit Buffalo and the surrounding Erie County region hard, trapping people in their cars, causing power outages and preventing emergency crews from responding in time.
On Tuesday, Mayor Byron Brown's office announced a total of 27 storm-related deaths in the city, along with at least seven suburban fatalities. That's more than the historic blizzard of 1977, when 29 people died in the region that's known for its brutal winter weather.
In Buffalo, the dead have been found in cars, homes and snowbanks.
U.S. President Joe Biden on Monday offered federal assistance to New York, while Governor Kathy Hochul toured the aftermath in Buffalo, her hometown, and called the blizzard "one for the ages." Almost every fire truck in the city became stranded on Christmas Eve, she said.
Elston, the barbershop owner, said he's never seen anything "remotely close" to what they've endured.
"I'm not thinking about the people that I helped. I'm thinking about all those people that maybe I could have did something a little bit more," he said.
"Like there was a girl down there on Clinton and that's not too far from me. Maybe I coulda got a crew of people that was in the barbershop and helped that girl if I'd have [known] she was down there. She froze to death in her car."
He said the girl had posted messages to social media platforms and sent messages to her family begging for help, but that snow had covered her car and nobody could find her.
"Twenty-two-year-old girl, she didn't even live her life. Something about stuff like that," Elston said. "I felt like I ain't had no other choice but to open the business up."
Biding time in the barbershop
Elston said while his shop normally feels like a "pretty big" space, over the holiday weekend it was not only cold, but crowded, with about 30 people waiting out the storm inside with him.
Elston said he tried to make each person comfortable by giving them thick hoodies and a change of socks.
"I had a bunch of socks because people come into the barbershop selling stuff all the time," he explained.
To keep busy, Elston said they turned up the music and played cards. And on Saturday night, everyone staying at the shop watched the football game as the Buffalo Bills defeated the Chicago Bears. Still, it was Christmas Eve, and they were stuck in a stressful situation, so he said there were some arguments.
"There was some friction," Elston admitted, noting that he hadn't gotten much sleep over the last three days because he wanted to make sure the business and everyone staying with him was protected and safe.
"I can't just go to sleep, be comfortable, you know what I mean? I'm basically managing everybody that's in here [and] making sure they're good."
On Monday, there were still three people with Elston inside the barbershop as he spoke on the phone with As It Happens. He said he was looking forward to going home soon.
"I got Leah Elston and Madison Elston, a nine-year-old and three-year-old, and I missed their Christmas … Maybe God had a different plan for me," he said.
"My oldest daughter knows what's going on, and she called me and said, 'Daddy, I'm so proud of you.' "
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
With files from The Associated Press. Interview with Craig Elston produced by Chris Trowbridge.