Buffalo Administrator's Heroic Journey Through Historic Blizzard

David Wettenstein, Administrator of Ellicott Center, the 160-bed skilled nursing facility at 200 7th Street in Buffalo, did something heroic as he commuted through the Christmas Day Blizzard of 2022 from his home two hours away in Rochester to his facility on Monday, Dec 26. Normally arriving by 9:00 am as he does every morning, David finally made it safely to the building by 2:00 pm that afternoon. This is how Mr. Wettenstein thinks first and foremost, about his residents and his staff to make sure everyone is safe, even on his more than six-hour drive.

First of all, David was able to pick up two other staffers, including their Director of Nursing, Dawn Hejmanowski.

Secondly, in addition to this heroic drive to care for his Ellicott Center residents and be with his staff, driving through the monster blizzard, he was able to pick up food for all of the residents and staff on his way from a local store in Batavia. What he had in his car, in addition to the two other employees, were 672 eggs, twenty gallons of milk, two boxes of half and half, two chocolate milk half gallons, eight boxes of Aunt Jemimah pancake mix boxes, and about twenty bundles of bananas. Finally, David was able to keep it all fresh during that crazy commute covering all of the food to keep in the cold and fresh.

"It was like witnessing Armageddon or something that resembled the Will Smith movie "I Am Legend", cars abandoned, just something brutally historic," said Wettenstein.

As far as Ellicott Center, thankfully the building had no problems associated with the blizzard. David took these photos outside of Ellicott Center, near the facility, and from the inside looking out.

Ellicott Center is thinking about the families and loved ones of Western New York who were less fortunate in this weather catastrophe.