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CatastropheUnited States of America

US: Roads reopen in Buffalo as it recovers from major storm

December 29, 2022

A travel advisory replaced the driving ban in Erie County, as it braced for floods due to the melting snow. Rescuers inspected the houses of those who suffered power outages.

https://p.dw.com/p/4LXzz
A car is buried in snow on December 28, 2022.
Buffalo braced for floods as 140-centimeter snow began to meltImage: JOED VIERA/AFP

Roads reopened in the US city of Buffalo, New York in the early hours of Thursday. The city was the epicenter of a major deadly snow storm that swept most of the US.

The storm raged for nearly a week during the Christmas holiday, killing 37 people in Erie County, with some 29 dying in the City of Buffalo alone, County Executive Mark Poloncarz said. Many bodies were still unidentified.

Some 60 people were killed across the US.

County officials were preparing on Thursday for potential floods due to the weather warming up significantly, with the 4.5 feet (140 centimeters) of snow which reportedly landed over the city expected to melt, the National Weather service said.

The storm surpassed in ferocity, duration and death toll a 1977 blizzard that went down as the deadliest in the history of Buffalo, after killing nearly 30 people.

Door-to-door checks

Some 500 National Guard members conducted nearly 850 welfare checks on residents who suffered long-term power outages during the storm, Poloncarz said.

"We are fearful there are individuals who may have perished living alone, or two people who are not doing well in an establishment, especially those who still don't have power," the Reuters news agency quoted him as telling reporters.

US National Guard assist in recovery efforts after a record winter storm in Buffalo, New York, on December 28, 2022.
A driving ban was replaced by a travel advisory, as equipment persisted on the roads to clear out the snowImage: JORGE UZON/AFP

Only 62 customers in Erie County were still without power late on Wednesday, Poloncarz said, citing National Grid figures. He added that the remaining power cuts were expected to be restored shortly.

The driving ban which gripped the city during the storm was replaced by a travel advisory instead. Poloncarz warned on Twitter that hundreds of very large pieces of equipment would still be out on the streets to clear them, urging pedestrians and motorists to exercise caution.

US President Joe Biden announced federal disaster relief for New York state on Monday, to help deal with what was dubbed as a "once-in-a-generation" storm.

rmt/jcg (AP, Reuters)