The hum of ploughs clearing snow from concourses and the scrape of shovels digging out seats echoed throughout Highmark Stadium, New York, on Tuesday, hours before the Buffalo Bills host the Pittsburgh Steelers in a storm-delayed NFL wildcard play-off game.
The sun that shone at noon local time gave wayto grey skies, but no more snow, as a small army of stadium employees and volunteers being paid US$32 ($51) an hour raced to clear the 70,000-seat facility before the 4.30pm kick-off (10.30am NZT).
While the green artificial turf was cleared of snow, most of the stands were still covered in a white blanket, making it uncertain if they would be cleared in time for the game. But the remnants of the lake-effect snow band that dumped more than 60cm of the white stuff on the Bills’ home in suburban Orchard Park moved north towards Buffalo, providing relief to those working inside the stadium.
“It certainly helps out. It lightens the mood,” said Bob Isaacs, catching a glimpse of a blue sky south of the stadium.
As for how daunting the task at hand was, Isaacs said: “For 2 seconds. Then you got to remember you’re a Bills fan. It’s all part of the deal.”
This is the fourth year the 62-year-old Isaacs has volunteered to shovel snow at the stadium, which he considers his way of supporting his hometown team.
The game had been scheduled to be played on Monday, when the brunt of the storm was hitting the region, with much of it centred on Orchard Park. New York Governor Kathy Hochul in consultation with the NFL postponed the game, citing public safety concerns.
Shovel crews have been working on clearing the stadium seats, walkways and tunnels since Sunday, when snow fell at a rate of more than 5cm an hour. Crews worked overnight, with the Bills making a plea for more volunteers on Tuesday.
Brandon Brummert woke up at 4am and made the 145km drive from Rochester, New York, to help shovel.
“It’s beautiful out now. Thank God the wind’s not kicking. If the wind was kicking in, it would be brutal right now with blowing snow,” said Brummert, who later in the day will trade his shovel to work the gates as a ticket taker.
Major roads leading to the stadium were cleared, with 1.5m snowdrifts lining the roads after they were ploughed. The National Weather Service forecast for Tuesday called for a chance of snow showers through the early afternoon, with a high of -8C. Temperatures were expected to dip to -10C, with 13-26km/h winds.
