‘Elliot’, the fierce winter storm that has plagued the United States for several days, has already caused the death of at least 60 people, according to the NBC network, almost half of them in the state of New York. The weather service announced a rise in temperatures on Tuesday, but warned that precipitation in the form of snow was still expected to fall in Buffalo. “It is clearly the blizzard of the century,” New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said, adding: “Although the intensity is no longer what it has been in recent days, it is still dangerous.”
On Monday night, President Joe Biden offered Hochul “the full force of the federal government ” and approved an emergency declaration to facilitate the federal aid needed to mitigate the effects of the storm and care for those affected, the White House reported. it’s a statement. Western New York state, bordering Canada and accustomed to freezing cold and heavy snowfall, is buried under a blanket of snow, enduring polar temperatures since last week. Flurry snow, hurricane force winds and freezing temperatures have forced cancel more than 15,000 flights in the last few days.
The death toll in Erie County this Sunday was 13, but since then local services have confirmed the death of 15 more people, bringing the death toll from the storm to 28, reported Mark Poloncarz , head of this county. “Some people have been found dead in their vehicles , and others have died of cardiac arrest trying to clear snow while temperatures are still low,” Poloncarz confirmed. “More victims are expected to be found,” he added. In Ohio, traffic accidents related to the storm killed nine people, confirmed the State Highway Patrol.
“Desgarrador”
Many streets in Buffalo, in Erie County, were still blocked Tuesday in large part due to the impressive amount of snow. “Please, unless you’re part of the emergency services, don’t drive ,” Poloncarz urged, noting that the death toll from the storm in this region would likely exceed those from the 1977 Buffalo storm, when nearly 30 people died.
National Guardsmen and other first responders have rescued hundreds of people from snow-covered vehicles and homes without power , but authorities say people remain trapped. “It’s heartbreaking to get calls from families with children saying they’re frozen , ” said Erie County Sheriff John Garcia. On Saturday , power outages across the country affected almost 1.7 million homes.
Since last week, the United States has been battered by this strong-intensity storm, whose polar winds have brought heavy snowfall, especially in the Great Lakes region . Freezing temperatures were recorded in 48 US states over the weekend, including communities in Texas along the border with Mexico where some recently arrived migrants were having difficulty finding shelter.
Tens of millions of Americans had their Christmas upended by massive power outages , impassable roads and canceled flights , which caused chaos at airports. The weather is expected to gradually improve as the week progresses. The extreme weather “will continue to cause dangerous travel conditions locally for the next two days,” the National Weather Service (NWS) has indicated. “Most of the eastern United States will remain in freezing conditions before a more moderate trend sets in,” the organization added.
