New York State in the United States faces severe snowstorms, especially in the city of Buffalo, where cars are buried under thick layers of snow (about 120 centimeters). This Christmas weekend, the authorities urged residents to limit their movements.
THE figures provisional declared by the Erie County Board of Governors for death toll are high and numbering 47.
315,000 users without power in New York State
Saturday night, the country had 315,000 homes without electricityand the Governor of New York ordered the deployment of the National Guard.
Snowstorms that brought whiteout conditions to the western part of the state, including Buffalo, over the past two days knocked out power to several homes statewide during peak hoursand officials in some of the hardest-hit counties said they were still running the gamut from issuing a possible driving ban.
Sunday morning, a large number of New Yorker were still without electricity. Nearly three days after the blizzard began, people were trapped in cars on highways and side streets in Buffalo, officials said.
Several revoked flights in New York State
In many states, officials are warning that travel conditions are extremely dangerous. But millions of Americans flooded the streets and airports for the holiday season. This phenomenon has caused traffic chaos. More than 3,300 flights were canceled and more than 7,500 delayed on Saturday. About 6,000 flights were canceled the day before, according to tracking site Flightaware.com.
Hospital staff called back to help their colleagues
The snow itself made rescue efforts difficult, making roads impassable. It is not so easy even with the many resources available to the state, as the responders deployed for rescue operations are now also in danger.
The storm moved into communities south of the city, leaving up to 8 centimeters of snow in its path in an hour. Mark Poloncarz appealed to authorities and hospital staff, asking those who had taken leave to come and help their colleagues who have been working hard since the storm began on Friday. Although the Buffalo Cyclone has eased this morning.
Emergency shelters have opened in US cities like Denver and Chicago to house people in need and provide warming to maintain their body temperature to protect them from the risk of hypothermia. Temperatures should “return to seasonal norms by the middle of next week”.
