At least 25 people in western New York have died as a result of the historic blizzard that dumped four feet of snow in Buffalo, knocking out power to tens of thousands of homes and businesses, and leaving some motorists stranded in their cars for days.
Across the nation, at least 50 deaths reportedly are being blamed on the extreme winter weather that blanketed much of the country, snarling traffic and leading to thousands of canceled flights. About 60 percent of the U.S. population faced some sort of winter-weather advisory or warning over the Christmas weekend, the Associated Press reported.
Frigid arctic air was "enveloping much of the eastern half of the U.S." on Sunday, the National Weather Service said. Roads were partially or completely covered in snow in large portions of Iowa on Monday morning, and snow is expected in Atlanta on Monday evening.
But western New York faced the worst of it, with Governor Kathy Hochul calling the blizzard that walloped the region "historic" and an "epic, once-in-a-lifetime storm." Hurricane-force winds and lake-effect snow caused white-out conditions in Buffalo, leaving vehicles covered in huge snowdrifts and ambulances and other emergency vehicles stranded. Firefighters, police officers, and medics were among those who had to be rescued during the blizzard.
"When the rescuers have to be rescued, I'm not certain what else we could have done," Mark C. Poloncarz, the Erie County executive, said during a Sunday morning news conference, according to the New York Times.
The number of confirmed deaths in western New York rose to at least 25 on Monday. Some of the people who died in the area were found frozen in their cars, according to the Buffalo News. At least one man died outside near a convenience store. Others died because ambulances could not get to people who suffered medical emergencies. At least one person died from carbon-monoxide poisoning from a blocked furnace vent, the Buffalo News reported.
Some people who found themselves trapped in the storm and unable to get home gathered with strangers for days inside restaurants and stores. A Target store in Buffalo became the site of a makeshift slumber party for stranded drivers, according to the Buffalo News.
Tens of thousands of people in the region are still without power, and it may not be restored for many of them until Tuesday.
Hochul said Sunday that she had spoken to the White House about receiving "critical federal assistance to help our communities recover." She urged western New Yorkers to stay home.
"Please continue to stay off the roads so that our crews can plow and we can get resources to those in need," she tweeted on Sunday.
In addition to the deaths in western New York, at least ten people have died in Ohio, including an electrocuted utility worker, according to the Associated Press. Six people were killed in crashes in Missouri, Kansas, and Kentucky. In Vermont, a woman was killed by a falling tree branch, and in Wisconsin a woman died after falling through the ice on a river, the AP reported.
Temperatures in much of the country are expected to rise gradually over the next few days.
Comments
Post a Comment