Blizzard kills 27 in Buffalo area while searches continue

[wnylib]

Last edited Mon Dec 26, 2022, 10:40 AM - Edit history (2)

Some were found in cars and snowbanks. Others had medical emergencies at home but responders could not get to them due to the blizzard. Snow plow crews got stuck in snow and had to be rescued by snowmobile. City and county requested volunteers with snowmobiles to call a special number to get instructions on how they could help.

ON EDIT: Officials expect to find more deaths once the weather clears enough to find buried vehicles and do house checks where power went out. 3 days straight of blizzard conditions in the worst blizzard in Buffalo history.

https://www.reuters.com/world/us/death-toll-rises-buffalo-frigid-cold-freezes-eastern-us-christmas-day-2022-12-25/

UPDATE: 27 confirmed deaths, not the final total yet.


https://www.wivb.com/news/local-news/erie-county/7-deaths-from-buffalo-blizzard-as-4-more-reported-overnight-on-christmas-eve/

[BigmanPigman]

1. I was feeling warm until I just saw a video from Erie, PA

Brrrrrrrrrrr. Seriously, it made me chilled to the bone and I put socks on. I can't believe I lived in the Poconos and our water pipes would freeze despite being 3' underground. Now I can't take the cold if it is below 60°.

[wnylib]

4. Do you have a link to the Erie video?

It's my home town so I'm wondering how they fared.

Here in western NY, all we're hearing about is the Buffalo-Niagara region which was hit for 3 days straight with non stop blizzard conditions and 6 feet of snow over the 3 day period. Sub zero temps, -35 wind chill, power outages, 70 mph winds. This is the worst blizzard in Buffalo history and for Buffalo, that's saying something. Shingles torn off of roofs, trees and power lines down, 6 feet and higher snow drifts.

[hatrack]

11. Not sure it's the same video, but literally chilling

I've experienced plenty of snow and cold here in the Midwest, but this is just beyond anything.

[wnylib]

13. Thanks. Just to clarify, that was Buffalo, not Erie, PA.

Erie, PA is on Lake Erie in Erie County, PA. Buffalo is also on Lake Erie, but in Erie County, NY. The lake and the two counties in adjacent states have the same name, so it confuses people who are not familiar with both regions. Buffalo is about 100 miles east of Erie, PA. Cleveland, Ohio is around 100 miles west of Erie, PA, also on Lake Erie.

I have seen Lake Erie waves and flooding like that from storms, usually in summer because when it gets like that in winter, it is too miserable to be outdoors.

The damage in this blizzard was mostly from the winds causing some gigantic drifts and very low wind chill temperatures, plus knocking down trees and power lines, and blowing out windows and shingles from roofs. The actual snowfall was only 4 feet. So in some pictures, the level of snow doesn't look bad. You can even see bare pavement. But next to it, or a few yards down the road, there will be a 6 or 8 foot drift across the road that has cars buried under it. Visibility when driving gets so bad that cars have to stop. But when they stop, they get buried.

[Warpy]

7. My old bones require heat, also

which is why I fight with management during the summer about not using the heat pump for AC. When it's 80-85 F the pain from RA is less. The blockheads just refuse to get it, they'd love it if they could keep their own houses chilly in the summers here.

Water pipes in eastern Mass. were 4-5 feet underground. I've forgotten how deep they were in Indiana, where it could get WAY below zero. I'd guesstimate they were 5-6 feet down.

Since I've been in the high desert in NM, the temperature range has been -10 to 107. I do OK at 60, I just pile on the layers. Below 60 I'll sit at the computer in a fake fur coat, wearing knit gauntlets to keep my hands functional and Polartek fleece socks to keep my feet warm.

Too cold is actually better than too hot, you can always put more stuff on but when it's hot, there's only so much you can take off before you run into skin and I'm of an age when nobody wants to see that.

[Marcuse]

8. I can empathize. I'm just becoming acquainted with Arthur - unfortunately.

[Warpy]

9. Arthur's an asshole. I've been acquainted for 60+ years now

because I started getting sick when I was barely a teenager. Nobody listened because Arthur only bothered old people, not kids. Boy were they wrong. When I finally got diagnosed at Mass. General, I stood out on Congress St. and yelled "WRONG AGAIN, MA!" at the top of my lungs. It felt good and I hope she heard me down in Florida.

It's just as well, I guess, since they didn't have any decent treatments for it back then.

I'm so sorry that son of a bitch is bothering you, too. At least there are better treatments now, although I've aged out of a lot of them.

[Ways]

14. Same here

I feel exactly the same way. Peace!

[LeftInTX]

2. Dayam

[CentralMass]

3. Tragic.

[Niagara]

5. Unfortunately, the death toll here in Buffalo has increased to 21 since 8:00am

this morning. I'm going to presume that more untimely blizzard deaths will be determined as day goes on.







https://www.wivb.com/news/local-news/erie-county/7-deaths-from-buffalo-blizzard-as-4-more-reported-overnight-on-christmas-eve/

[wnylib]

6. OMG! I had not checked the news yet

before reading your post. So sorry to hear that the number has doubled.

[ZonkerHarris]

10. tragic and horrible.

[Cha]

12. Ohh So Sorry.. 🤷‍♀️💖