New York winter storm death toll: how many have died in Buffalo?
Powerful blizzards and heavy snowfall have brought New York to a standstill and forced Gov. Kathy Hochul to issue an emergency declaration.
The state of New York is currently under an emergency declaration as a vicious winter storm continues to cause chaos for residents. Dozens have died and roads and homes have been covered in up to 6 feet of snow.
Officials in Erie County, New York confirmed on Tuesday that at least 35 deaths had been recorded. More fatalities are expected to be announced in the coming days.
Erie County has been worst-hit by the storm and the majority of casualties occurred in the county. On Monday evening Mark Poloncarz, executive of Erie County, warned, “This is not the end yet.”
“I just have to offer my deepest condolences to those who lost a loved one as a result of this horrible situation,” Poloncarz said.
“We’ve had so many bodies that various hospitals are full and we’re just having to go through and determine if the individuals have died from a blizzard-related death.”
Across the Christmas weekend the state was struck with blizzard conditions that made roads dangerous and left many stranded. On Tuesday more than 2,900 flights in the United States were cancelled and the city of Buffalo remains under a winter weather advisory.
White House approves emergency declaration for winter storm
On Monday evening the White House announced that President Biden had authorised an emergency declaration across New York, a clear sign of the continued threat to life in the state.
The request came from New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, who asked for federal assistance to “supplement state and local response efforts due to the emergency conditions resulting from a severe winter storm beginning on December 23, 2022, and continuing”.
A White House statement said that it would work to help “alleviating the hardship and suffering caused by the emergency on the local population, and to provide appropriate assistance for required emergency measures”.
Rescue efforts continue in New York
As the conditions have gradually improved in the past 24 hours emergency crews have been able to enact more wide-reaching rescue efforts. Buffalo Mayo Byron Brown described these attempts as potentially life-saving, paying tribute to the men and women who had managed to reach hundreds of stranded residents.
“In some of these circumstances, some of these people might not have survived if it weren’t for the efforts of first responders to rescue them from vehicles,” Brown said.
However with temperatures remaining low, rescue teams are having to dig out thousands of vehicles from snow-covered roads across the state. Supermarkets are beginning to reopen as conditions improve but there will likely be major disruption to travel for days and weeks to come.
“We have a responsibility to have all these resources on hand,” Hochul said, outlining the benefits of a state-wide initiative to stockpile ready meals.
“But, when Mother Nature literally shuts down and creates a wall that you cannot see past, it is not safe – for not just emergency vehicles but the trucks that are bringing groceries to the stores and the stores are being shut down.”