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BUFFALO, NY — The death toll from the massive winter storms that hit western New York over the New Year’s Eve weekend has been revised with new information.
Erie County Commissioner Mark Polonkers said on Thursday that the number of storm-related deaths has risen to 39 countywide. Did. County officials say one person died at an unknown location.
According to Polonkaerts, three were found due to delays in EMS response due to the storm, 17 were found outdoors, four were found inside vehicles, four were found due to snow removal or plowing, and 11 were found outside. A person was found in his home.
Niagara County also reported one death from the storm.
What you need to know
- The death toll from the pre-Christmas blizzard that paralyzed the Buffalo, New York area and much of the country continues to rise as regions prepare for more snow.
- At least 39 people have died in Erie County, according to the Erie County Coroner’s Office.
- The storm also caused at least 20 deaths reported in other parts of the country
- Mitigation will take place later this week as forecasts predict temperatures will rise slowly, according to the National Weather Service
Roads reopened Thursday in storm-hit Buffalo.
The driving ban in New York’s second-most populous city was lifted just after midnight on Thursday, Mayor Byron Brown announced.
“We’ve made great progress” on snow removal, Mr. Brown said at a press conference late Wednesday. Suburban roads, major highways, Buffalo He Niagara International Airport had already reopened.
Still, Mr. Brown urged residents not to drive unless necessary.
The National Guard was going door to door checking on people who had lost power. Officers from the Buffalo Police Department and other law enforcement agencies also searched for victims, sometimes using the officers’ personal snowmobiles, trucks, and other equipment.
Some victims have not yet been identified, Polonkers said at a briefing on the storm on Thursday.
“There are families in this community who have not yet identified where their loved ones are. They are missing,” he said.
With the death toll already surpassing that of the region’s infamous blizzard in 1977 and rising daily, local authorities were faced with questions about how to handle last week’s storms. They claimed to be ready, but the weather was unusual, even in an area prone to powerful winter storms.
“The city did the best it could under the conditions of the historic snowstorm,” the mayor said Wednesday.
Meanwhile, officials have seen forecasts of rain later in the week as the snow melts as temperatures approach or exceed 50 degrees Celsius (10 degrees Celsius).
The National Weather Service predicts flooding will be minor, but state and local officials say they are still preparing. Gov. Kathy Hochol said the state is ready to deploy nearly 800,000 sandbags and more than 300 pumps and generators for flood response efforts, if needed. I was.
During the briefing, Poloncarz apologized for publicly criticizing the city of Buffalo’s snow clearing efforts the day before for being too slow and even “embarrassing.”
“We have dealt with some very heartbreaking issues, including ongoing death-related issues, identification of dead bodies, as yet unidentified individuals, and the introduction of new deaths,” Polonkatz said. said Mr. I was trying to contact Braun to make amends. “I basically lost focus.”
Mayor Brown dismissed Polonkers’ allegations, saying the city was “working diligently around the clock” to clear the snow and that it was working with the government and the community.
Brown, Poloncarz, and Hochul are all Democrats.
Natural catastrophe damage estimators say insured losses from winter storms are $5.4 billion in 42 states. According to Karen Clark & Co., New York, Texas, Georgia, Tennessee, and North Carolina will be hit hardest by storms, with sub-zero temperatures that can disrupt infrastructure and burst pipes, and account for the majority of losses. occupies.
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