LACKAWANNA, N.Y. (WIVB) — The City of Lackawanna early Saturday was asking for any volunteer who owns a snowmobile to assist with helping individuals stranded by the storm.

The request so was urgent that the City, in a Facebook post, doubled down on the immediacy of the need.

“If you are able to assist, YOU MUST FIRST CALL the Lackawanna Police Department at 716-822-4900 for further instructions,” the post said. It also asked that people share the message with their immediate contact networks.

By late morning, Chuck Clark, the City’s public information officer, said that more than 7,000 people saw the request on social media and that they had enough volunteers. Initially, however, he said there hadn’t been as many calls to the police department as city officials had hoped.

“It’s just simply a matter of volume,” Clark said. “We have first responders on both police and fire out everywhere. This is just to help us try to take advantage of what appears to be a short window of maybe some calm.

By 9:30 a.m. Saturday, the lake effect snow band had pushed to the north of Lackawanna. However wind and blowing snow remained an issue. The band was expected to drop back south over Lackawanna later Saturday.

Clark said the city was initially seeking 15-20 volunteers with snowmobiles. A similar request went out in Lackawanna during the 2014 Snowvember event.