The death toll from a pre-Christmas blizzard that paralyzed the Buffalo area and much of the country has risen to 27 in western New York authorities said Monday as the region dug out from one of the worst weather-related disasters in its history.
The dead have been found in their cars, homes and in snowbanks. Some died while shovelling snow. The storm that walloped much of the country is now blamed for at least 48 deaths nationwide, with rescue and recovery efforts continuing Monday.The blizzard roared through western New York Friday and Saturday, stranding motorists, knocking out power and preventing emergency crews from reaching residents in frigid homes and stuck cars.
Extreme weather stretched from the Great Lakes near Canada to the Rio Grande along the border with Mexico. About 60% of the U.S. population faced some sort of winter weather advisory or warning, and temperatures plummeted drastically below normal from east of the Rocky Mountains to the Appalachians. New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said almost every fire truck in the city was stranded Saturday and she implored people Sunday to respect an ongoing driving ban in the region. The National Weather Service said the snow total at the Buffalo Niagara International Airport stood at 43 inches at 7 a.m. Sunday. Officials said the airport would be shut through Tuesday morning.
"Some were found in cars, some were found on the street in snowbanks," Poloncarz said. "We know there are people who have been stuck in cars for more than two days." By 4 a.m. Saturday, their fuel nearly gone, Ilunga made a desperate choice to risk the howling storm to reach a nearby shelter. He carried 6-year-old Destiny on his back while 16-year-old Cindy clutched their Pomeranian puppy, following his footprints through drifts.
The storm knocked out power in communities from Maine to Seattle. According to poweroutage.us, fewer than 100,000 customers were without power Monday at 7 a.m. EDT -- down from a peak of 1.7 million.
Canada Latest News, Canada Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Death toll rises in Buffalo as frigid cold freezes eastern U.S. on Christmas DayA deadly blizzard pummeled Buffalo on Christmas Day, trapping people in their cars, causing power outages and raising the death toll
Read more »
Death toll rises in Buffalo as frigid cold freezes eastern U.S. on Christmas DayA deadly blizzard pummeled Buffalo on Christmas Day, trapping people in their cars, causing power outages and raising the death toll
Read more »
Death toll rises in Buffalo as frigid cold freezes eastern U.S. on Christmas DayA deadly blizzard pummeled Buffalo on Christmas Day, trapping people in their cars, causing power outages and raising the death toll
Read more »
Death toll rises in Buffalo as frigid cold freezes eastern U.S. on Christmas DayDec 25 (Reuters) –
Read more »
Blizzard claims 12 lives in Buffalo, N.Y., area as Christmas Day freeze grips U.S.A deadly blizzard paralyzed Buffalo, New York, on Christmas Day, trapping motorists in their cars, knocking out electricity to thousands of homes and raising…
Read more »
'Our Christmas story': Ukrainian family looking forward to first Christmas in VictoriaAnton Kostin and his family are decorating the tree in preparation for their first Christmas in Victoria, but their preparations started when Russia invaded their home country in February.
Read more »