At least 25 dead in western New York after worst blizzard in decades

By Gabriella Borter

(Reuters) -A powerful blizzard that paralyzed western New York over the Christmas weekend has killed at least 25 people, local officials said on Monday, as road and utility crews struggled to dig out the snowed-in region around Buffalo.

Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz told reporters on Monday that the county's tally of storm-related deaths had jumped by 12 overnight, and included cases of people who were found in snow banks, in their cars or who had died from cardiac events while plowing or blowing snow.

More deaths had been reported, Poloncarz said, but the county medical examiner was trying to determine if they were directly attributable to the weather.

"There still are probably additional deaths that will be announced later today," Poloncarz said.

At least 55 people have died in U.S. weather-related incidents since late last week, according to an NBC News tally.

The storm has wreaked havoc with travel across the United States over the weekend, stranding passengers as thousands of flights were canceled.

The blizzard, deemed the Buffalo area's worst in 45 years, took form late on Friday and pummeled western New York through the Christmas holiday weekend. It capped an Arctic freeze and winter storm front that had extended over most of the United States for days, stretching as far south as the Mexican border.

The greater Buffalo region, on the edge of Lake Erie near the Canadian border, has been one of the hardest-hit places, with nearly 50 inches (127 cm) of snow recorded at Buffalo Airport as of Monday morning, according to the National Weather Service.

Cars and buses were buried under towering snow drifts and high-lift equipment was being used for hospital transports where ambulances could not drive.

A few grocery stores that had been closed for days reopened on Monday, and people trekked more than a mile (1.6 km) through the middle of the impassable streets to get there.

Up to a foot (30 cm) of snow was still forecast to fall through Tuesday in some areas south of Buffalo and north of Syracuse.

Heavy winds and "lake-effect" snow - the result of moisture picked up by frigid air moving over warmer lake waters - produced a storm that New York Governor Kathy Hochul said would go down in history as "the Blizzard of '22," ranked as the worst since a 1977 blizzard killed nearly 30 people.

RESCUE EFFORTS PERSIST

President Joe Biden tweeted on Monday that he had spoken to Hochul on the phone and that his administration would provide resources to help the region cover the daunting expense of storm rescue and recovery.

"My heart is with those who lost loved ones this holiday weekend. You are in my and Jill's prayers," Biden said.

Hundreds of national guard troops were assisting local first responders and state police on Monday as crews rescued people trapped in homes and cars, performed wellness checks and delivered food and basic needs.

Emergency workers have struggled to navigate past snow drifts to do their jobs, and many snow plows, tow trucks, ambulances and other emergency vehicles dispatched over the weekend had to be rescued themselves after getting stuck in the snow, county officials said.

Thousands of people in Erie County had power restored as of Monday morning, Poloncarz said, while some 14,000 customers were still without power statewide, according to poweroutage.us.

A driving ban was still in effect in Buffalo on Monday, for safety purposes and to keep the roads clear for emergency and utility workers trying to weave through an obstacle course of buried cars and snow banks.

"There are cars everywhere. Everywhere. Pointing the wrong direction on roads. They've basically been plowed in and they need to be dug out and towed. It's going to take time to clear those," Poloncarz said.