Crews removes snow-covered roadways in Buffalo

• Emergency services have been restored in Buffalo, New York.
• Anndel Taylor, 22, died in her car during the storm.
• The Erie County in New York saw at least 31 fatalities.

Emergency services have been restored in Buffalo, authorities are clearing roads for first responders, and welfare checks are being conducted after a fatal winter storm unleashed a severe blizzard that swept over Buffalo, New York, with screams for aid going unanswered.

In Buffalo, the storm dumped up to 51.9 inches of snow, locking thousands inside throughout the holiday weekend, many without heat since the storm downed power lines.

In addition, it rendered roads inaccessible, leaving some people stranded in the snow in subzero temperatures.

The Erie County in New York saw at least 31 fatalities. Additionally, the sweeping storm has claimed the lives of at least 25 other people in 11 different US states.

“We have people that got stranded in their vehicles and passed away in their cars. We have people that were walking during blizzard conditions and passed away on the street, passed away in snowbanks,” Buffalo Mayor Byron W. Brown said. “And we have people that were found that passed away in their homes.”

According to Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz who spoke to Media, there were bodies in a makeshift mortuary by Monday and several hospitals were filled.

The hazardous weather made it challenging for rescue teams and firefighters to respond to pleas for assistance, further complicating the situation. Numerous cars had to be left on the road after getting stuck in the snow, including ambulances.

According to Poloncarz, who spoke to Media on Monday, two-thirds of the equipment sent out to help clear winter snow during the height of the storm were stuck.

According to the historian of the Buffalo Fire Department, this was the first occasion in the organization’s history that the weather was so bad that they were unable to react to emergency calls, Poloncarz continued.

According to him, an EMS delay was to blame for one death that was reported in Erie County.

As the storm hit the region, hundreds of calls for assistance went unanswered, according to Erie County Sheriff John Garcia.

As the situation improves, authorities are concentrating on welfare checks and transferring patients to hospitals as the roads are cleared.

Anndel Taylor, 22, was found dead over the holiday weekend, according to her family, after becoming stranded in her car due to the blizzard.

A man contacted to say he discovered her and that she had no pulse, according to her sister, after the family lost contact with her and posted her whereabouts on a Buffalo Facebook page to request assistance.

The woman’s body had already been removed from the car and taken to the hospital when officials contacted the Brown family again on Monday evening to let them know they were prepared to go out and rescue the woman, according to the family.

Although Erie County’s emergency response service had been reinstated by Tuesday, officials were still begging with citizens to keep off the roadways.

According to Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz, a driving ban is still in place in Buffalo despite a two-day attempt to free up at least one lane on each street for emergency services.

The county is also bringing in 100 military police, as well as additional troops from the New York State Police Department, to manage traffic control “because it has become so evident that too many people are ignoring the ban,” Poloncarz said.

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