CNN
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[Breaking news update, published at 10:49 a.m. ET]
Winter storm death toll in Erie County, New York, has risen to 34. Crews continue to clear roads of snow and check on those who were unable to reach first responders days ago as a devastating weather system swept through the country, officials there said Wednesday.
Erie County Commissioner Mark Polonkers told a news conference that 26 of the dead were found in Buffalo and seven were found in suburban areas, adding that he did not know where one was found.
[Original story, published at 10:11 a.m. ET]
Emergency services have been restored in Buffalo, New York, officials said.
At least 31 people died in Erie County, New York. Buffalo he was buried in nearly 52 inches of snow and residents were confined to their homes. Many people lost their heat after a blizzard over Christmas weekend cut power lines. At least 25 people have been reported dead in the storm in 11 US states.
A driving ban remains in effect in Buffalo on Wednesday amid a two-day effort to clear at least one lane on all roads to accommodate emergency responders, according to city and Erie County Administrator Mark Polonkers. But Poloncars spokesman Peter Anderson said hundreds of vehicles were left stranded in the snow, with dangerous driving conditions and snow-covered lanes still blocked, and emergency and recovery vehicles on the road. said it was still stuck.
The county has mobilized 100 military police and the New York State Police to manage traffic control. Authorities are also working to coordinate fuel deliveries to emergency workers and food deliveries to markets he said.
“That’s why we need to be off the road in these affected areas,” Polonkers said. Because we have to do it,” he said.
Meanwhile, Buffalo is gearing up for potential flooding as warmer temperatures melt masses of snow and two inches of rain are expected over the weekend. Flood risk is small, according to the National Weather Service.
Erie County Sheriff John Garcia said hundreds of calls for help went unanswered as the storm hit the area, prompting authorities to focus on welfare checks and getting people to hospitals. Told.
In the frigid, all-white conditions, “people… got stuck in cars, died in cars. Some people were walking in blizzard conditions and died in the streets, some died in snowballs,” Buffalo said. Mayor Byron Brown said, “And there are people who have been found dead in their homes.”
At least one death reported in Erie County was due to EMS delays, Poloncarz told CNN on Tuesday. “Our emergency responders couldn’t reach the person because of the snow,” he said. “They were blocked and by the time they got there it was too late.”
The storm marks the first time the Buffalo Fire Department has failed to respond to an emergency call due to serious conditions, Poloncarz said, citing agency historians. He said his two-thirds of the equipment sent to help clear the winter snow during the storm was also out of action.
The blizzard, which Governor Kathy Hochul called a “once-in-a-generation storm,” has drawn many comparisons to Buffalo’s infamous 1977 blizzard, a powerful storm that killed 23 people.
“The 1977 blizzard is considered the worst storm in Buffalo’s history,” Poloncarz said Monday. “Well, unfortunately, this already exceeds the death toll.”
Anndel Taylor, 22, was found dead in Buffalo over the weekend after being trapped in her car by a snowstorm, her family said.
After losing contact with her, the family asked for help by posting her whereabouts on a private storm-related Facebook page.
The devastating effects of winter storms are widespread, with at least 56 storm-related deaths reported in multiple states.
• New York: In addition to 31 deaths in Erie County, Niagara County reported one fatal carbon monoxide poisoning.
• colorado: Police in Colorado Springs have reported two cold-related deaths since Thursday. One may have been seeking warmth near the building’s transformer, while another was found in an alleyway camp.
• Kansas: Three people have died in weather-related traffic accidents, the Highway Patrol said Friday.
• kentucky: Authorities say three people have died, including one involved in a car accident in Montgomery County.
• Missouri: One person died after a van slid off an icy road and into an icy creek, Kansas City Police said.
• new hampshire: A hiker was found dead in Franken on Christmas morning, said Lieutenant James Kneeland, spokesperson for the New Hampshire Fish and Game Division.
• Ohio: Nine people died as a result of weather-related car accidents. That included his four-person crash Saturday morning when his tractor trailer crossed the median and collided with an SUV and a pickup on Interstate 75, officials said. increase.
• South carolina: Two men died in Anderson County storms, including a 91-year-old man who went out to fix a broken water pipe on Christmas Day, the coroner’s office said. Another victim died on Christmas Eve after his home lost power.
• Tennessee: The Ministry of Health on Friday confirmed one fatality linked to the storm.
• Vermont: A Castleton woman has died after a tree fell on her home, the police chief said.
• Wisconsin: The State Patrol on Thursday reported one fatality due to winter weather.
Crews are concentrating on clearing the main snowman because of potential flooding in Buffalo, officials said. Still, “about an inch of rain should fall from this system before flooding is a concern,” the Bureau of Meteorology said.
City leaders are working with the National Weather Service to “not only look back at what happened in the past week, but also look at what could happen in the future,” said Daniel Niebers of the Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Services. There are,’ he said.
All major highways in western New York were reopened by Tuesday, including the New York State Highway. This is “a sign that this once-in-a-generation storm is finally turning a corner,” Ho-chul said.
Buffalo got another 1.6 inches of snow on Tuesday, bringing its total since Friday to 51.9 inches and December’s total to 64.7 inches, according to the Bureau of Meteorology. Overall, Buffalo has grown by 101.6 inches this winter season, said CNN meteorologist Robert Shackelford.
He noted that conditions were improving and that the snowfall from the lake’s influence had finally stopped. Warmer temperatures are expected for at least the next week, with highs in the high 30s on Wednesday in Buffalo and in the high 40s over the weekend.
Authorities have also responded to several reports of looting. Eight of him were arrested in Buffalo by Tuesday night on suspicion of looting during a winter storm, according to a tweet from the Buffalo Police Department.
“It’s terrifying that people are looting while people in our community are dying in this storm,” the mayor said, adding, “This is a minority of individuals.” .
