Emergency crews in New York on Monday were scrambling to rescue marooned residents from what authorities called the “blizzard of the century,” a relentless storm that has left nearly 50 people dead across the US and caused Christmas travel chaos.
Blizzard conditions persisted in parts of the northeastern US, the stubborn remnants of a massive sprawl of extreme weather that gripped the country over several days, causing widespread power outages, travel delays and at least 49 deaths across nine states, official figures showed.
In New York State, authorities have described ferocious conditions, particularly in Buffalo, with hours-long whiteouts, bodies being discovered in vehicles and under snow banks, and emergency personnel going “car to car” searching for survivors.
Photo: AFP
The perfect storm of fierce snow squalls, howling wind and sub-zero temperatures forced the cancelation of more than 15,000 US flights in the past few days, including nearly 4,000 on Monday, data from tracking site Flightaware.com showed.
Buffalo — a city in Erie County that is no stranger to foul winter weather — is the epicenter of the crisis, buried under staggering amounts of snow.
“Certainly it is the blizzard of the century,” New York Governor Kathy Hochul told reporters, adding that it was “way too early to say this is at its completion.”
Hochul said that “30 to 40 inches [0.75m to 1m] of snow overnight” fell on some western New York towns.
Later on Monday, Hochul spoke with US President Joe Biden, who offered “the full force of the federal government” to support New York State, and said that he and first lady Jill Biden were praying for those who lost loved ones in the storm, a White House statement said.
Biden also approved an emergency declaration for the state, the White House said.
The US National Weather Service had forecast up to 36cm of snow on Monday, with officials struggling to get emergency services back online.
Erie County executive Mark Poloncarz wrote on Twitter that the blizzard-related death toll had climbed to 27 across the county, including 14 people who were found outside and three who were discovered in a car.
Speaking at a news conference earlier in the day, Poloncarz said that Erie’s death toll would likely surpass that of Buffalo’s infamous blizzard of 1977, when nearly 30 people died.
With more snow forecast and most of Buffalo “impassable,” he joined Hochul in warning people to bunker down and stay in place.
National Guard members and other teams have rescued hundreds of people from snow-covered vehicles and homes without electricity, but authorities have said more people remain trapped.
Erie County Sheriff John Garcia called the storm “the worst” he has ever seen, with periods of zero visibility and authorities unable to respond to emergency calls.
“It was gut-wrenching when you’re getting calls where families are with their kids and they’re saying they’re freezing,” Garcia told CNN.
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