As a winter storm delivered freezing temperatures and crippling snowfall totals across the US, dozens of Americans lost their lives. Officials in the Buffalo region expect the astonishing death toll will keep rising there as teams continue their search-and-rescue operations.
Storm’s Death Toll
The storm’s death toll increased to 49 throughout the country on Monday, with 27 of those deaths occurring in Erie County, New York, where some regions received more than 40 inches of snow.
Wolf Blitzer of CNN was informed by Buffalo Police Commissioner Joseph Gramaglia that “unfortunately, they are still recovering bodies.”
He claimed that among those lately discovered dead, some perished from exposure, while others passed away as a result of natural reasons.
“Stay home,” the commissioner pleaded with the populace. Stay indoors.
He said that first responders would go to unheated homes and already had done so to transport residents to warming facilities. He complained that far too many individuals, including locals simply going outside to see the heavy snowfall, are leaving their cars outside, getting stuck, and impeding rescue attempts.
Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz posted on Twitter that 14 county residents had died from exposure, three had been discovered dead in their cars, four were without heat, three had suffered cardiac arrests as a result of shoveling or (snow) blowing, and three had died because EMS services had been delayed.
He admitted to CNN that, regrettably, it seems like the figures will rise.
He said on The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer, “I am aware of other remains that have been found and are being taken to our makeshift morgue.” We have so many bodies that some hospitals are now packed. We must now sort them all out to see if anyone perished as a result of the blizzard.
‘Horrible Scenario’
He said, “It’s just been a horrific, horrible scenario.”
The region was hit by a massive blizzard just one month prior to the devastating storm.
And on Monday, snowfall was still occurring. Between Monday morning and 1 p.m., according to Poloncarz, between 8 and 12 additional inches of snow are forecast to fall Tuesday. As we work to recover, clear streets, and enter places that haven’t yet been plowed, he added, “This is not helpful.”
