Jakarta –
Snow storm called the biggest blizzard of the century, it killed about 50 people in the United States (USA). Many bodies were reportedly found buried in the snow.
New York City rescuers rushed to rescue residents stranded in what authorities have dubbed the “snow of the century” on Monday (12/26/2022), AFP reported. The storm killed at least 25 people in the state and wreaked havoc.
Blizzard conditions also continue in parts of the northeastern US. Remnants of extreme weather battered the country for days, causing widespread power outages, travel delays and at least 47 deaths in nine states.
In upstate New York, authorities described conditions as vicious, especially in Buffalo, with hours-long power outages. The bodies were found in the vehicle and under a snowdrift. Emergency response personnel went “car to car” looking for other motorists, dead or alive.
Severe snowstorms, howling winds and sub-zero temperatures have forced the cancellation of more than 15,000 U.S. flights in recent days. Including at least 2,600 on Monday, according to tracking site Flightaware.com.
Buffalo became the hardest hit city by the storm, and many bodies were found buried under the snow. The city is no stranger to extreme weather conditions in the winter.
“Certainly this is the blizzard of the century,” Gov. Kathy Hochul told reporters.
“It’s too early to say it’s over,” she said.
Hochul said several cities in western New York were hit with “30 to 40 inches (0.75 to 1 meter) of snow overnight.”
The National Weather Service expects up to another 14 inches on Monday on top of the several feet that kept the city blanketed in snow, as officials scramble to get 911 back on.
Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz told a news conference he was “heartbroken” to report that the number of blizzard-related deaths had risen to 25 countywide.
Poloncarz said Erie’s death toll would likely exceed Buffalo’s famous blizzard in 1977, when nearly 30 people died.
“We expect there will be more” deaths from the ongoing storm, he added.
With more snow expected and most of Buffalo “impassable”, he joined Hochul in warning residents to hide and stay put.
Watch the video “US blizzard kills 55, victims froze in cars on their way to homes”:
(aik/aik)
