A fierce blizzard hit the state of New York during the Christmas weekend, greatly lowering the temperatures and initiating a power outage for 1.8 million people. Authorities claim that this would go down in history as the “blizzard of the century.”
EFFECTS OF THE BLIZZARD
The blizzard has taken the lives of more than 27 people in the western region of the New York state itself. An emergency has been declared over the Erie County, as regions of the cities are impassable due to large amounts of snow. A driving ban has been put into action in the city of buffalo due to the dangerous conditions of the roads. Despite this motorists were found stranded in the storm and were rescued by emergency crews.
“The ferocity of the storm was worse than the blizzard of ’77,” said Poloncarz (Erie County executive). He went on to explain that this was a horrible situation because storm-related deaths had plummeted overnight, including people who were found in their cars.
BUFFALO
Buffalo — New York’s second largest city — emerged to be the hardest hit region. The city had accumulated more than 4 feet of snow during the blizzard but it continues to rise further with the latest recorded accumulations being upto a foot. A “Shovel Smart” alert warning has been issued, that the over-exertion from “shoveling heavy, wet snow can cause back injuries and heart attacks.” This was in response to the cases of fatalities that included people who died of cardiac arrest while plowing snow.
RESCUE EFFORTS
Persistent rescue efforts are being made to help all those who have been stuck in the storm. Trucks, cars, ambulances, buses etc. are seen littering the streets, making complicated efforts to clear the roads and reach stranded citizens. In this process, many rescuers too have found themselves stuck in the snow. This required special teams to be dispatched “to rescue the rescuers” according to Poloncarz.
CONCLUSION
This devastating storm has caused the untimely death of over 60 people. It is truly a “Once-in-a-lifetime” weather disaster that has given unimaginable grief to countless people
