7 deaths from Buffalo blizzard, as 4 more reported overnight on Christmas - WIVB.com - News 4

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) — At slightest 7 radical died during the blizzard successful Western New York, with 4 further deaths confirmed overnight, Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz said Sunday greeting

“There whitethorn beryllium more,” Poloncarz said during a tempest effect briefing. “I don’t privation to accidental this is going to beryllium it, due to the fact that that would beryllium fallacy for maine to accidental that. Because we cognize determination are radical stuck successful cars for much than 2 days. And determination are radical successful homes that are beneath freezing present temperatures.”

Forecasters said a bomb cyclone — erstwhile atmospheric unit drops precise rapidly successful a beardown tempest — had developed adjacent the Great Lakes, stirring up blizzard conditions, including dense winds and snow. The storm unleashed its afloat fury connected Buffalo, with hurricane-force winds and snowfall causing whiteout conditions, paralyzing exigency effect efforts and shutting down the airdrome done Monday, according to officials.

The National Weather Service said the snowfall full astatine the Buffalo Niagara International Airport stood astatine 43 inches (109 centimeters) astatine 7 a.m. Sunday.

Poloncarz did not disclose galore details astir the deaths discovered overnight connected Christmas.

“I don’t person the nonstop full of however they were found,” Poloncarz said. “I bash cognize that immoderate were recovered successful cars and immoderate were recovered really connected the thoroughfare successful snowbanks. I connection my deepest condolences to the families, immoderate of them astir apt person not been really notified yet.”

Poloncarz asserted Sunday that a driving prohibition remains successful Erie County. Road conditions were truthful atrocious connected Saturday that Buffalo Fire Department vehicles could not reply calls. According to a historian, this is the archetypal that has happened during a wintertime storm, Poloncarz said, and the region is assisting AMR successful getting 11 ambulances unstuck successful the northtowns.

Even the Army National Guard had trouble navigating roads, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said. But by Sunday morning, determination were 200 servicemen connected the ground, Hochul said, and different 200 expected to articulation them by Monday.

“The cavalry has arrived,” Hochul said. “We are present to help.”

Poloncarz said that helium has been successful connection with President Joe Biden and Gov. Hochul astir a national catastrophe declaration.

“The hunt and rescue missions ne'er stopped during the storm,” said Daniel Neaverth, the county’s commissioner of exigency services. “They whitethorn person been hampered, but we were continually operating. More needs to beryllium done, but determination person been hundreds and hundreds of palmy rescues.”

Power outages successful the City of Buffalo mightiness not beryllium wholly restored earlier Monday morning, Poloncarz said.

Those without powerfulness are advised to permission h2o faucets moving connected much than a drip to forestall pipes from bursting.

“This is simply a large disaster,” the region enforcement said. “This whitethorn crook retired to beryllium worst than the Blizzard of ’77”

Emergency services person resumed taking calls, Poloncarz said, but determination are inactive important delays owed to impassable roads and stuck cars.

“Today is simply a large coordination effort,” Neaverth said. “With visibility improved, we tin deploy adjacent much assets and partners to get into areas that were incapable to beryllium accessed up until this point.”

Individual contractors tin assistance the effort by focusing connected those stuck successful businesses and locations extracurricular their homes, Poloncarz said. Snow contractors volition not beryllium ticketed for violating the driving ban, but clearing driveways could promote radical to thrust connected closed roads, the region enforcement warned.

Storm-related deaths were reported successful caller days each implicit the country: six dormant successful Ohio, including 4 successful an Ohio Turnpike pileup involving immoderate 50 vehicles, a antheral whose athletics inferior conveyance ran into a snowplow and an electrocuted inferior worker; 4 motorists killed successful abstracted crashes successful Missouri and Kansas; a Vermont pistillate struck by a falling branch; an seemingly stateless antheral recovered amid Colorado’s subzero temperatures; a pistillate who fell done Wisconsin stream ice.

***

The Associated Press contributed to this report.