The death toll from the historic winter superstorm that hit much of the United States around Christmas time has risen to 61, officials said on Thursday. At the same time, the risk of snowmelt causing flooding has been reduced.
Two new deaths were identified in Erie County, in the state of New York, where the city of Buffalo, epicenter of the storm, is located. At least 39 people have died in the region and the number is likely to continue to rise, according to the county’s top official, Mark Poloncarz, at a news conference.
Among the dead, 4 were found inside their cars, 11 in homes and 17 outdoors, he said. According to The New York Times, among the victims in the region were medical professionals trying to get home for Christmas; a soon-to-be father out to buy milk; and another man, found buried under a snowbank, who died on his 56th birthday.
With temperatures rising, authorities feared that a rapid thaw could cause flooding. “Fortunately, it looks like the flooding will be minimal. There are chances of flooding, but it looks like it won’t be severe,” explained Poloncarz.
Electricity, another problem that plagued the region, was also restored in all homes.
The area Buffalo is in, while accustomed to harsh northern winters, was hit hard by the storm. There was heavy snowfall, icy wind and a sudden drop in temperature.
Bad weather wreaked havoc, to the point where, in many cases, rescue teams themselves were trapped on the front lines.
The cold was felt to a greater or lesser extent in much of the country including Texas, in the south, and Florida, in the southeast, states that are not used to such climatic conditions. The storm also caused serious disruptions at airports, with thousands of flights canceled .
New York state governor Kathy Hochul called the storm the “blizzard of the century” and likened the state’s situation to a war zone. Buffalo, a city 600 km from New York, was one of the hardest hit.
AMERICANS LOOKING FOR BLAME FOR THE DEATHS
Residents of cities most affected by the blizzard are now trying to find those responsible for the disasters of recent days. According to the Washington Post, the population of the state of New York is questioning the delay of the local government in prohibiting people from leaving their homes in the middle of the storm – a spokesman for the city of Buffalo said that more than half of the deaths occurred from the outside the homes.
Erie County, for example, issued a travel ban just before 9 am on Friday, giving drivers just 41 minutes of warning. At that time, according to the newspaper, several people were already in traffic towards work. At least 28 people died in the county.
On another front, points out the report, local authorities would have minimized the strength of the blizzard and assumed they were already ready for this type of situation. Miscalculation, even more so for a state with an emergency team 10% smaller than last month – a problem caused by low wages and burnout. In rural areas, many first responders are now volunteers.
In addition, the population of Buffalo complains about the lack of vacancies in shelters. Many residents live in substandard buildings, and the power outage has left them without food, heat and running water since Friday.
According to the National Weather Service, the conditions for winter storms and the bomb cyclone that dropped temperatures from the east coast in New York to the Mexico border in Texas in the east were created in the region. of the Great Lakes, near Canada. There, frigid Arctic air meets warm masses from the east. This year, however, the phenomenon gained above-average intensity — something that, according to analysts, is also due to the climate crisis.
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