It is a historic storm that has affected nearly three quarters of the American population since the middle of the week. And it’s not over. “The blizzard of the century” is not over, warned New York State Governor Kathy Hochul on Monday. The temperatures felt have already reached up to -55°C in places.
At least 25 people have died in Erie County alone in western New York state. “It’s far too early to say it’s over,” she told a press conference, adding that up to 30cm of snow was still expected to fall in the region.
Even if the intensity of the storm is no longer that of recent days, it is “still dangerous to be outside”, she warned. Western New York, accustomed to cold and storms, was buried over the Christmas weekend under meters of snow, suffering from polar temperatures since last week.
25 dead in Erie County
The death toll in Erie County, which includes Buffalo, was already 13 as of Sunday evening, but local services have since confirmed the deaths of 12 more people, “bringing the total blizzard fatalities to 25,” it said. this Monday morning Mark Poloncarz, responsible for this county. Some people have been found dead in their cars or outside, and others have died of cardiac arrest while trying to clear snow, while temperatures are still freezing, he said. He said he expected more victims to be found gradually.
“Please, unless you are part of the emergency services, do not drive,” asked Mark Poloncarz. “The conditions are bad. A travel ban was still in effect on Monday in the west of the county, but it was defied by some residents, he regretted.
Despite the perilous conditions, Buffalo police have rescued “hundreds” of people, said the city’s mayor, Byron Brown. Electricity has been restored to more than 13,000 homes in the past 24 hours, Mark Poloncarz said Monday morning, but more than 12,000 are still without power. Some will not be able to be connected to the network before Tuesday, he warned.
The total of deaths confirmed by authorities across nine US states is at least 47 dead. In Ohio in particular, road accidents linked to these bad weather killed nine people, the Ohio State Highway Patrol confirmed to AFP.
“My heart is with those who have lost a loved one,” tweeted US President Joe Biden on Monday, indicating that he spoke on the phone with the governor, and promising to provide the necessary federal resources.
As a result of these difficult weather conditions, around 3,500 flights were still canceled in the United States on Monday, according to the monitoring site Flightaware.com.
VIDEO. Chaos and scenes of panic on snowy roads in the United States
Conditions are expected to improve only gradually as the week progresses. The weather “will continue to cause hazardous travel conditions locally for the next two days,” the US Weather Service (NWS) said in its latest national bulletin. “Most of the eastern United States will remain in freezing conditions through the day Monday, before a more moderate trend sets in from Tuesday,” he added.
Up to 60cm expected in Jefferson County
In the region of the city of Buffalo, the most devastated so far, the local branch of the meteorological service warns of the “lake effect” (Editor’s note: cold air condenses on contact with the more hot and humid Great Lakes, resulting in heavy snowfall) which will continue at least until Tuesday, December 27.
Additional snowfall “6 to 12 inches”, or 15 to 30 cm is expected near Lake Erie and the city of Buffalo. It is even more in Lewis County, where an additional 30 to 60 centimeters of snow are expected, as in Jefferson County. Two counties located in the northwest of the state.