US winter storm death toll rises to 29

Millions of people in the United States sought shelter from the freezing temperatures of a winter storm on Sunday that killed at least 29 people in parts of the country, trapped many in snow-covered homes and left tens of thousands without power. Homes and businesses.

The storm’s scale is almost unprecedented: it stretched from the Great Lakes near Canada to the border with Mexico.

About 60% of the nation’s population was under some type of weather advisory and temperatures from the Rocky Mountains to the Appalachians were below normal, the National Weather Service said.

About 1,700 domestic and international flights were canceled as of 2 p.m. ET, according to the FlightAware website.

Experts noted that burst cyclogenesis—the most rapid drop in atmospheric pressure during a storm—occurred near the Great Lakes, where it triggered ice blizzards and storms.

The storm unleashed its full fury in Buffalo, where hurricane-force winds and heavy snow crippled emergency services.

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said all of the city’s fire engines were seen in the fog on Saturday and that the airport would remain closed until Tuesday morning.

As of 7 a.m. Sunday, Buffalo-Niagara Airport had a total of 43 inches of snow, the National Weather Service said.

Daylight revealed cars covered in nearly 2 meters of snow and thousands of homes in the dark with no electricity.

As snow piled up on impassable streets, forecasters warned some areas could get 12 to 24 inches of snow amid 40 mph winds through Monday morning.

A winter storm in the US, the worst in decades, killed more than 20 people this Christmas Sunday and left thousands of homes without power for four days as polar winds lashed the center and east of the country. pic.twitter.com/BDPsjxoXHR

— NMore (@nmas) December 25, 2022

Two people died in their homes in Cheektowaga, New York, because medical personnel did not arrive in time to treat their health problems, and another person died in Buffalo.

Four more deaths were confirmed overnight, bringing the total in Erie County to seven. District Administrator Mark Polancarz has warned that the death toll could rise.

“Some were found in their vehicles, some were found on the ice in the street,” Polancarz said. “We know there are people who are stuck in their vehicles for more than two days.”

Heavy snow, cold weather and power outages prompted some Buffalo residents to leave their homes Saturday to go somewhere warmer. But with city streets covered in a thick layer of white, that’s not an option for people like Jeremy Manahan, charging a cell phone battery in a car parked without power for nearly 29 hours.

“There’s a shelter to stay warm, but it’s too far for me to get there. Of course I can’t drive because I’m stuck,” Manahan said. “And you can’t be out more than 10 minutes without getting frostbite.”

Didjak Illunga of Gaithersburg, Maryland, was traveling with his daughters to visit relatives for Christmas in Hamilton, Ontario, when their truck got stuck in Buffalo.

With no help available, they spent hours in the windswept, snow-covered vehicle with the engine running.

At 4:00am on Saturday morning, almost out of fuel, Ilunga made the desperate decision to brave the raging storm and reach the nearest shelter. She carried Destiny, 6, on her back, while Cindy, 16, hugged her puppy and followed his footprints in the snow.

“If I stay in this car, I’m going to die here with my daughters,” she recalled thinking, adding that she thought they should try. She cried as the family walked through the shelter’s doors. “It’s something I’ll never forget in my lifetime.”

The storm knocked out power in cities from Maine to Seattle. But gradually electricity and heat were restored in different areas.

Governor of New York @KathyHochul A state of emergency was declared in the city ahead of Elliott’s ice storm, which is expected to affect much of the US and is described by the US National Weather Service as a “once-in-a-generation” event.#Storm pic.twitter.com/yehcqa2UaM

– Channel of the Sun (@canaldelSol06) December 25, 2022

In North Carolina, fewer than 6,500 customers were without power, a sharp drop from a peak of 485,000. In New England, fewer than 83,000 people were still without power, the majority in Maine.

In New York, about 34,000 homes were without power Sunday, including 26,000 in Erie County.

In recent days, storm-related deaths have been reported across the country: seven in Erie County and another in New York’s Niagara County; 10 people in Ohio, including a power company employee who suffered electrocution and various traffic accidents; Six drivers involved in various traffic accidents in Missouri, Kansas and Kentucky; A woman in Vermont hit by a tree branch; A homeless man found in freezing Colorado temperatures; and a woman who fell through ice in a river in Wisconsin.

Bleiberg reported from Dallas. Mike Schneider in Orlando, Florida; Stephanie Tasio in Los Angeles; Jonathan Mattis and John Roby in Charleston, West Virginia; Ron Todd in Philadelphia; Mark Levy in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania; Jeff Martin in Atlanta; and Wilson Ring in Stowe, Vermont, contributed to this report.

🌨️ Worst winter storm in 40 years wreaks havoc in US; For example, an image of a supermarket car wash in Austin, Texas is completely frozen.

🎥 @ahoramasoficial pic.twitter.com/a67ytItuwH

– xevt – xhvt (@xevtfm) December 25, 2022

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