Officials fear more victims of the storm will be found in the coming days
At least 28 people have been killed in western New York state, most of them in Buffalo, as a severe winter storm continues to ravage North America.
A state official said some people were stranded in cars for more than two days during what it was described as “probably the worst storm” of their lives.
Forecasters warned that more snow, up to nine inches (23 centimeters), could fall in parts of the state through Tuesday.
The storm, which stretched from Canada to the Mexican border, killed 56 people.
US President Joe Biden has approved a declaration of emergency allowing federal aid for New York State. “My deepest sympathy goes out to those who lost loved ones this weekend,” she wrote on Twitter.
“We can feel some optimism, but it’s not over yet,” said Marc Poloncars, executive director of Erie County, which includes Buffalo.
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Emergency vehicles are trying to access some of the hardest hit areas in New York State
“It’s a once-in-a-generation blizzard,” he added, warning that the province had not yet begun assessing “total losses.”
Polonkarz, citing forensic authorities, said many of the victims died of heart problems while shoveling or falling snow. Some of the dead were found inside their cars.
“It’s (like) entering a war zone and the sight of vehicles on both sides of the streets is shocking,” Gov. Kathy Hochul, a Buffalo native, said earlier.
He added that many emergency vehicles were unable to reach the hardest-hit areas or got stuck in the snow.
A family in the area with small children, aged two to six, had to wait 11 hours before being rescued in the early hours of Christmas Day.
“I was so desperate,” the father, Zila Santiago, told CBS News, adding that he was able to keep warm by running the engine and avoid stress by playing with the kids.
More victims are expected to be found once the snow melts from the trapped cars, allowing access to the remote homes.
The winter storm, or “bomb hurricane” as it’s known, disrupted travel across the country. This phenomenon occurs when atmospheric pressure decreases, causing heavy snowfall and strong winds.
image copyright Reuters
More snow is expected in parts of Ontario on Tuesday
Forecasters say the storm will reduce its intensity over the next few days, but are advising people to avoid travel and commuting now unless necessary.
More than 250,000 homes and businesses were affected by power outages over the weekend, but electricity is gradually returning.
Storm-related deaths were reported in Vermont, Ohio, Missouri, Wisconsin, Kansas and Colorado, and temperatures were so low in South Florida that iguanas froze and fell out of trees.
The state of Montana in the western United States was hit hardest by the cold, with temperatures dropping as low as -45 degrees Celsius.
In Canada, the provinces of central Ontario and Quebec in the northeast were hardest hit by the storm.
Prince Edward, Ontario, located along Lake Ontario, also declared a state of emergency and had to pull snowplows off the streets because they could get stuck, city Mayor Steve Ferguson told CBC News.
Several cars were reportedly stuck in the snow.
Four deaths were previously recorded when a bus overturned on a snow-covered road near the town of Merritt in British Columbia in the west of the country.
