The death toll in New York from the winter storm Elliot that has affected the United States in recent days rose to 31, according to Marc Poloncarz, chief political officer of Erie County, the most affected in this state.
According to a Poloncarz tweet, 17 people were found on the street, 7 died due to lack of heating, three were found in a vehicle, another three died of heart problems and one because the emergency medical service could not arrive on time. .
“Very sadly, the medical examiner has confirmed another 3 deaths. The total is now 31″, said Poloncarz, who gave a press conference on Tuesday in which he reported that the military and state police are working together to keep people away from the snow-covered roads in Buffalo, the city most affected county, where the highest number of fatalities were recorded, with 27 deaths.
This number in Buffalo could increase as cleanup efforts continue.
According to the county official, some people are violating the driving ban in Buffalo.
The number of deaths already exceeds those that occurred during another storm in 1977, which claimed the lives of 29 people, according to local media.
Poloncarz also indicated that more than 7,000 workers continue their efforts to restore power to Erie homes affected by blackouts caused by Elliot, which left more than 50 dead in the country during the Christmas holidays, most of them in New York. .
Some roads in Erie County were already reopened on Tuesday and the rest are expected to do so on Wednesday, according to Gov. Kathy Hochul.
The eastern and southern United States experienced a rise in temperatures on Tuesday as the storm abated, while another cold front reached the West Coast with snow and rain, the National Weather Service (NWS) reported.
However, despite the end of Elliot, the air chaos continues a few days before another holiday, New Year’s, with more than 3,000 flights canceled this Tuesday, according to the Flight Aware portal, leaving thousands of passengers on the ground who had planned travel during the holidays.
The most affected are the users of the Southwest airline, which is responsible for 63% of cancellations and whose telephone service lines are saturated
