At least 48 are dead from the bad weather from the polar cold in the USA – The authorities are talking about a “crisis of epic proportions”

Twenty-seven deaths related to the severe weather were reported in western New York.

The death toll at the pan-American level, from the sweeping wave of bad weather that is hitting the USA, is at least 48 dead.

Twenty of those deaths were recorded in Buffalo, New York, a spokeswoman said this morning.

The prolonged bad weather brought heavy snowfall, strong winds and polar cold to most parts of the US resulting in dozens of citizens meeting a gruesome death.

Buffalo, New York, was hit hardest by the record snowfall, with more than a foot of snow, according to the National Weather Service.

After being stuck for up to 5 days due to the #blizzard, all of I-90 will re-open by noon! Many truckers told us it’s the longest they’ve ever had to pull over for weather.#SDwx https://t.co/a03s3W9iPA pic.twitter.com/eT1ZJOdMf3

— Mike Seidel (@mikeseidel) December 17, 2022

The blizzard impassable roads, froze power substations and left more than a dozen people dead, Erie County officials said.

Conditions eased a bit on Sunday, allowing emergency crews to get out and see the extent of the problem.

When the weather gets as cold as it is in the eastern US, you can always have fun making frozen bubbles. Here is one of my creations. #winter @spann pic.twitter.com/CbV9GZtoQG

— Tom Niziol (@TomNiziol) December 24, 2022

“We know there are people who have been trapped in cars for more than two days,” Erie County officials said. “There are people inside the houses living in sub-zero temperatures.”

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul called the storm the “most destructive in Buffalo’s history” because of its strength and length of time.

“It’s a crisis of epic proportions,” she told CNN on Sunday.

Since last week, the “bomb cyclone” has brought dangerously cold temperatures, blizzards and coastal flooding to nearly the entire US, ruining Christmas plans.

More than 55 million people have received wind chill and frost warnings.

Some major cities in the Southeast, Midwest and East Coast recorded their coldest Christmases in decades. Florida experienced its coldest Christmas since 1983.

“The winds are so strong” that the snow “forms something like dunes,” it’s “crazy,” 34-year-old Ali Lawson, who has lived in Buffalo for eight years, told AFP.

New York also saw record low temperatures on Christmas Eve, including at JFK and LaGuardia airports.

Temperatures are forecast to rise through the week with above normal temperatures.

About 250,000 U.S. homes and businesses were without power, with nearly half of those in Maine and New York, according to PowerOutage.us.

Since the start of the storm, power outages have affected more than a million citizens.

More than 3,000 flights were canceled yesterday, Sunday, adding to the roughly 3,500 that were canceled on Saturday and the 6,000 others that were canceled on Friday, according to the specialist website Flightaware.com.

Almost everywhere in American cities, such as in Denver or Chicago, shelters were opened to welcome people in need so that they could be warmed up and protected from the danger of hypothermia.

In El Paso, Texas, desperate migrants who had come from Mexico took refuge for warmth in churches, schools and a community center, educator and volunteer Rosa Falcon told AFP.

But some chose to stay out for fear of attracting the attention of immigration authorities, he added.

Bad weather in Canada too

The storm also hit Canada, where a bus crash on an icy road in British Columbia killed at least four people and injured dozens, according to authorities.

More than 150,000 people were also left without electricity, mainly in Ontario and Quebec.

All train services from Toronto to Ottawa and Montreal were also canceled on Christmas Day after a train derailed, according to Canadian Rail.

RES-EMP

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