NEW YORK – The death toll from a devastating winter storm battering much of the United States has risen to 47, with just 25 in Erie County in western New York.
“In addition to the 13 deaths confirmed yesterday, the Erie County Health Department’s Office of the Medical Examiner has confirmed 12 additional deaths, bringing the total from the blizzard storm to 25 deaths countywide,” the headline said. Erie Executive Mark Poloncarz at a press conference.
The official warned that with an additional 12 inches of snow likely Monday, residents should take shelter and stay in place.
“This is not the end yet,” he said.
Fierce weather continues to blanket much of the country, disrupting the Christmas holiday travel plans of millions of people.
This extreme situation forced the cancellation of more than 15,000 flights in recent days, including at least 1,700 this Monday, according to the Flightaware.com monitoring site.
Western New York, located on the eastern shore of Lake Erie, is used to dealing with some of the worst snowstorms in the country. But this, according to Poloncarz, is historical in nature.
The official said the final death toll could well exceed the historic blizzard of 1977.
“I am heartbroken by the deaths,” he said.
That storm from the 1970s is responsible for 29 deaths, but although it lasted one more day, the one now has been more intense, Poloncarz said.
He added that the situation “is very delicate,” noting the large number of abandoned cars and even buses along county roads, making it difficult for emergency vehicles to pass.
