Erie County Executive Pleads or Patience As Blizzard's Devastating Toll Continues To Mount

[TTL News 319]

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Even as some driving bans were lifted Monday morning as road conditions slowly improved and power was restored to more homes, the tone among Erie County officials remained somber as the blizzard's devastating toll took its place in Western New York history.

At least 27 people have died in Erie and Niagara counties due to the blizzard, including 20 in the city of Buffalo, officials from across Western New York have confirmed. 

"I just have to offer my deepest condolences to those who lost a loved one as a result of this horrible situation," said Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz, who confirmed at least 25 deaths in Erie County from the storm. "I never thought I'd face this. I thought the storm that we faced in 2014 would have been the worst in which we had 14 deaths but this has far surpassed it, and there still are probably additional deaths that will be announced later today."

 

Read the rest here.

[Chris 2,238]

Absolutely crazy, even for Buffalo.

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BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) — State and military police were sent Tuesday to keep people off Buffalo’s snow-choked roads, and officials kept counting fatalities three days after western New York’s deadliest storm in at least two generations.

Even as suburban roads and most major highways in the area reopened, Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz warned that police would be stationed at entrances to Buffalo and at major intersections because some drivers were flouting a ban on driving within New York’s second-most populous city. 

More than 30 people are reported to have died in the region, officials said, including seven storm-related deaths announced Tuesday by Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown’s office. The toll surpasses that of the historic Blizzard of 1977, blamed for killing as many as 29 people in an area known for harsh winter weather.

 

Source

[Hal 343]

Did you get a peek at the way they were removing abandoned and snowed in cars ?! I didn’t get a pic but this thing was a cross between a big SWAT tactical vehicle and a very powerful forklift . Gonna be a whole lot of insurance claims filed and most likely turned down ! This thing was picking up cars trucks everything , slipping the forks under broadside picking up the vehicle … crushed rocker panels , exhausts , broken brake lines  eesh ! 😬

But they all knew this was coming so…

[Chris 2,238]

1 hour ago, Hal said:

Did you get a peek at the way they were removing abandoned and snowed in cars ?! I

You mean this bad boy?

[Hal 343]

14 hours ago, Chris said:

You mean this bad boy?

Yes … I want one 😂!

[TTL News 319]

The National Guard is checking homes in Buffalo looking for more blizzard victims:

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BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) — The National Guard went door to door in parts of Buffalo on Wednesday to check on people who lost power during the area’s deadliest winter storm in decades, and authorities faced the tragic possibility of finding more victims amid melting snow.

Already, more than 30 deaths have been reported in western New York from the blizzard that raged Friday and Saturday across much of the country, with Buffalo in its crosshairs.

Carolyn Eubanks, who relied on an oxygen machine, collapsed after losing electricity at her Buffalo home during a time when emergency workers were unable to respond to calls, son Antwaine Parker told The Buffalo News. 

“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,” Parker told the newspaper. 

Parker and his stepbrother knocked on nearby doors, seeking help. They found it when a stranger, David Purdy, answered and helped them carry the 63-year-old Eubanks inside and try in vain to revive her. Purdy and his fiancee sheltered her body until first responders arrived the next day.

 

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[TTL News 319]

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BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) — The toll from the weekend blizzard that hit the Buffaloarea was approaching 40 deaths Wednesday from the region’s deadliest storm in generations. Homes are only beginning to warm after days without heat. Drivers are still claiming cars they had abandoned. 

In a region that prides itself on being able to handle frequent and heavy snowfall, the natural question is: Why was this storm so paralyzing?

 

Read more here. 

[TTL News 319]

Police are looking to identify a man they've dubbed "Merry Christmas Jay," who they say saved lives in the devastating storm in Buffalo, New York.

After spending the night in his truck, the man rescued strangers from cars trapped in the snow and brought them to a school for shelter, according to police in the town of Cheektowaga, just outside of Buffalo.

[TTL News 319]