‘Blizzard of the century’ leaves at least 50 dead across US
- Rescuers search ‘car to car’ in New York state, where ferocious conditions have killed at least 27; some people said to be stranded in vehicles for over two days
- The city of Buffalo, the epicentre of the storm crisis, was buried under staggering amounts of snow, with hours-long whiteouts
Emergency crews in New York were scrambling to rescue marooned residents from what authorities called the “blizzard of the century”, a relentless storm that has left at least 50 people dead across the United States and caused Christmas travel chaos.
Blizzard conditions persist in parts of the northeastern US, the stubborn remnants of a massive sprawl of extreme weather that gripped the country over several days, causing widespread power outages, travel delays and dozens of deaths across nine states, according to official figures.
The dead have been found in their cars, homes and in snowbanks. Some died while shovelling snow.
In New York state, authorities described ferocious conditions, particularly in Buffalo, with hours-long whiteouts and emergency personnel going “car to car” searching for survivors.
State and military police are being sent to keep people from driving in snow-choked Buffalo, officials said on Tuesday.
Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz said police would be positioned at entrances to Buffalo and at major intersections to enforce a ban on driving in New York’s second-most populous city.