New York, December 30 (EFE).- The death toll in northwestern New York as a result of winter storm Elliot that hit the United States over the Christmas weekend has risen to 39, Mark Polancarz reported this Friday , the political leader of Erie County, the hardest hit in the state.
Via Twitter, Polancarz indicated that the coroner’s office had already confirmed 39 deaths, 31 of them registered in the county seat of Buffalo, and also reported that all victims have been identified.
Buffalo is starting to get back to normal with the resumption of basic services like garbage pickup starting this Saturday, according to its mayor, Byron Brown.
According to local media, one of the victims is Latin, but the names of the deceased have not been disclosed. However, NBC channel 15 has revealed that Henry Tellado, 55, is among those who suffered a heart problem while shoveling snow and couldn’t get help in time.
“He went to the bathroom and that’s where he collapsed. I called the police, the National Guard, I called everyone to help me. Nobody showed up,” his wife, Violeta Quiñones, told the local channel.
Emergency personnel and equipment were trapped by the intense storm, which prevented medical teams from arriving in time.
Stores were looted in the county and eight people were arrested as a result.
According to Polancarz, cleanup efforts after the snowfall have already cost his county $5 million in private contractors, according to preliminary data.
He also asked drivers to drive carefully as cleanup efforts continue.
“There is still heavy street cleaning equipment, especially in the city of Buffalo. Please please drive carefully and give these vehicles room to operate safely!” he also tweeted.
Storm Elliot hit much of the United States over the Christmas weekend and left more than fifty people dead, most of them in New York City, blackouts and chaos at airports with canceled flights and delays. EFE extension
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