State and military police were dispatched Tuesday to keep people off the snowy Buffalo roads, and officials continued to count the death toll three days later in western New York. the worst storm at least two generations.
Even as suburban roads and most of the region’s major highways reopened, Erie County Administrator Mark Polonkers said some drivers ignored the ban on driving in New York’s second-most populous city. police will be posted at Buffalo entrances and major intersections because of
Polonkers said Tuesday, “Don’t drive in the city of Buffalo unless you’re a paramedic.
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By Tuesday night, at least 31 weather-related deaths were reported in Erie County. This death toll surpasses that of his historic 1977 blizzard, which killed as many as 29 people in an area known for its severe winter weather.
As of Tuesday night, the storm had killed 60 people nationwide, according to the latest figures compiled by CBS News.
In Buffalo, the dead were found in cars, homes and snowmen. Some died while shoveling snow, others because paramedics weren’t there in time for the medical crisis. Polonkers, a Democrat, called the blizzard “probably the worst storm of our lives,” even in an area known for heavy snowfall. .
The winter blast left some people stranded in their cars for days, closed the city’s airports, and left some residents shivering from the heat.
“The blizzard conditions are of course gone, but we plan to respond to this blizzard for a few days to keep the city of Buffalo open,” Polonkers said.
Buffalo Niagara International Airport has reported a staggering 51.5 inches of snowfall since 2018. A storm hit the area 4 days ago. Officials said the airport will be closed until Wednesday morning.
Nearly 4,000 homes and businesses in Erie County were still without power on Tuesday night, according to tracking site PowerOutage.us.
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And on Tuesday, fresh snow continued to fall. Erie County Emergency Services Commissioner Dan Neibers Jr. said officials are also somewhat concerned about the possibility of flooding later in the week when mild weather begins to melt the snow.
Greg Monnett took to social media to ask for help raking a six-foot pile of snow off the edge of his driveway in Buffalo so he could get dialysis treatment on Tuesday.
“This was a nightmare,” he said in an interview Monday. His family’s house had been without electricity for a while, so he used a gas stove to keep his relatives warm, but he said it was dangerous. I acknowledged something.
“We had to do what we had to do,” said Monette, 43.
Monette said his loved ones called 911 when his blood sugar was dangerously low and he nearly passed out on Sunday night, but it would be hours before he got home. They said. He eventually recovered on his own.
Officials said in a news briefing that it was impossible to respond to emergency calls at the time.
According to Sister Maria Monnett, Monnett eventually made it to dialysis after climbing through the snow and having neighbors help him dig out a buried car.
There were warm moments even in the storm. A group of tourists from South Korea were taken in by a family in Buffalo after their van got stuck in the snow. Army National Guard Matthew Waldman helped a woman who was about to give birth.
“My mother sent me a message saying, ‘I have a mother in labor and no one can help her right now,'” Waldman told CBS News on Tuesday. I decided to take it off and go to her address.I heard her streets were completely covered in snow, like waist-high snow.”
Both mother and baby are fine.
First created in 2014 when Buffalo was buried in deep snow, the Facebook group has become a lifeline to help thousands seeking food, medicine, shelter and rescue during the recent storms. The group, now managed by five women, swelled to at least 68,000 as of Tuesday.
Erin Aquilinia, founder of the original group, said in an online interview, “We are seeing a lot of despair.
President Biden provided federal assistance to New York on Monday to allow partial refunds for storm relief efforts. I called it “timeless”. Nearly every fire truck in the city was stranded Saturday, she said.
Democrat Ho Chul said the storm came just over a month after the region was hit by another historic snowfall. The total snowfall between the two storms is not far from his 95.4 inches that the region typically sees throughout the winter season.
About 3,200 domestic and international flights were canceled on Tuesday, according to tracking site FlightAware.
The U.S. Department of Transportation said it would investigate Southwest Airlines flight cancellation A winter storm left travelers stranded at airports across the country.Many airlines were forced to cancel flights, but Southwest Airlines was the leader by far.
Other parts of the United States were still reeling from the nearly nationwide winter storm system.
On the Rosebud Sioux Reservation in South Dakota, snowmobiles were dispatched to deliver food boxes to residents on Tuesday after helicopters and trucks delivered them last weekend, the tribe said. Ohio officials assessed flood damage to the state capitol after a pipe burst in freezing weather.
Even in central Florida, temperatures dropped to 27 degrees over the weekend. Growers’ groups were relieved Tuesday to see no widespread damage to the fruit and vegetable crops that supply much of the United States with fresh winter produce.
And the West Coast is dealing with another major storm system. atmospheric river that brings heavy rainMore than 164,000 customers in the Pacific Northwest were without power as of Tuesday night, according to PowerOutage.us.
