The death toll in Erie County, which contains Buffalo, New York, has risen to 37 from the blizzard that struck the area late last week.
According to Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz, 17 people were found dead outside; nine died in homes lacking heat; four were found dead in a vehicle; four died of heart-related issues from shoveling or snow blowing and three people died when emergency medical services were delayed. 29 of the deaths occurred in the city of Buffalo. Local officials have been criticized for not implementing a travel ban earlier; Erie County issued a travel ban at roughly 9 a.m. Friday, but many people were already on their way to work.
“I think a travel ban should have been put in place a lot earlier,” Buffalo EMT Felicia Williams told The Washington Post.
On Thursday, Poloncarz acknowledged that listing a weather event as capable of “extreme impact” had only occurred twice during his time in his position.
Erie County Sheriff John Garcia said that his initial reaction to reports of a “bomb cyclone “ was “this is something that we are used to.” He acknowledged later, “I’ve never seen anything like this before.”
Meteorologist Reed Timmer stated simply, “Worst blizzard I have ever covered.”
Extreme #blizzard stranding motorists Downtown Buffalo. Family here stranded 7 hours a block from shelter. @bclemms and I escorted to shelter. Seems like survival situations playing out a block or two away in whiteout. Worst blizzard I have ever covered pic.twitter.com/ZvnBR9KeX7
— Reed Timmer, PhD (@ReedTimmerAccu) December 24, 2022
Days before the storm hit, Mark Wysocki, professor of atmospheric sciences at Cornell University, had warned, “It could be another one of these messes where we get this ice, freezing rain and snow. We could have a lot of issues with travel and downed power lines.”
One 63-year-old woman who needed to be connected to an electric oxygen machine lost heat and power in her home. According to The Buffalo News, she could not access emergency services because of the blizzard. Her son and his stepbrother traveled from Cheektowaga to her home in Lovejoy, New York, and attempted to take her to their car, but she was too tired.
“She’s like, ‘I can’t go no further.’ I’m begging her, ‘Mom, just stand up.’ She fell in my arms and never spoke another word,” her son recalled. After her son pounded in nearby homes for help, one couple let him and his mother in, but the woman died anyway.
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and the North American Reliability Corp. are conducting a joint investigation of the blackouts that blanketed millions of Americans.