Washington: At least 38 people have died in the US due to severe winter storms. A blizzard in Buffalo in western New York has left the city helpless, leaving emergency services unable to reach high-impact areas.
New York Governor Kathleen Hochul, a native of Buffalo, told reporters Sunday evening that “it’s (like) going to a battlefield. Residents are still in the grip of a “very dangerous life-threatening situation” and everyone in the area has been warned to stay indoors.
More than 200,000 people in many eastern states woke up without electricity on Christmas morning. Many people planned their holiday trip, which could not be completed due to the storm.
Officials described historically dangerous conditions in the snow-prone Buffalo region. Emergency workers searched for bodies in vehicles and under the snow for hours.
A couple across the Canadian border in Buffalo told media on Saturday that the roads were completely impassable, they wouldn’t be able to drive 10 minutes to see their family for Christmas.
A senior county official said power was not expected to return until Tuesday due to the freezing of power substations. A substation is buried under 18 feet of snow.
This year there is a havoc of severe cold and snowfall in America. Winter snowstorms engulfed the country. Which closed highways, stopped flights and this dangerous weather also became a problem for Christmas passengers.
According to reports, 70 percent of the US population is under weather warnings. The National Weather Service (NWS) has issued an alert.