Guwahati: At least 48 people have died as the US remains in a deep cold as a result of the blizzard, which also left thousands of people without electricity and made it challenging for rescue workers to extricate others trapped in their automobiles.
The severe weather in western New York was brought on by bone-chilling cold, howling winds, and a significant amount of “lake effect” snow, which was deposited by freezing air passing over warmer lake waters.
According to Al Jazeera, Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz said during a press conference on Monday that the storm that struck the region over the weekend before Christmas had claimed at least 25 lives.
Buffalo, in western New York, was particularly hard impacted by snowstorms. The blizzard also caused power outages in a number of areas.
An Arctic freeze and winter storm front that had covered the majority of the United States for days and extended all the way south to the Mexican border was topped by the storm. Al Jazeera reports that tens of thousands of homes and businesses were still without electricity on Monday while rescue and restoration activities went on.
Citing the White House statement, The Hill reported on Monday that President Biden spoke by phone with New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) and offered federal assistance as New York deals with a massive winter storm that has claimed more than two dozen lives.
“The President shared that his and the First Lady’s prayers are with the people of New York and all those who lost loved ones. He expressed his gratitude to the Governor for her leadership and to the National Guard, law enforcement, and first responders for their tireless work,” the White House said in a statement.
Numerous people have died as a result of the Arctic blast and the winter storm, as well as weather-related traffic accidents or the cold.
Many people’s Christmas eves have been ruined by the storm, which has brought temperatures across the US far below freezing. The storm pummelling areas, bringing with it hurricane-force winds and total darkness.
This holiday weekend’s storm caused disruptions to all modes of transportation, including trains, aircraft, and automobiles, blocking hundreds of kilometres of roads and forcing cancellations of flights.
According to CNN, as of Saturday morning, there had been a total of approximately 4,000 domestic, international, and international aircraft delays. Flight tracking website FlightAware also reported that there had been a total of roughly 2,000 domestic flight cancellations.
Numerous locations from Pennsylvania to Georgia were expected to see their coldest Christmas Eve on record due to the precipitous drop in temperature.