Not to belabor the point, but the key factor is getting out of the airport. The entire area was effectively closed. If one could rent a SUV from Avis at BUF there is no way you could have gone east from the airport. All roads were closed to non emergency traffic. There were no open roads leading east from the time of the storm. The Thruway was closed, Rt 5 was closed. And any other alternative east bound routes that were open were inaccessible from the airport. Particularly due to the gridlock of traffic stuck in the snow.

No way no how.