President Joe Biden approves an emergency declaration for New York amid the ongoing deadly blizzard as requested by state Governor Kathy Hochul…reports Asian Lite News
As the country continues to stay in deep freeze, the death toll has reached at least 57 as the blizzard stranded motorists, knocked electricity out for thousands of people and made it difficult for emergency crews to get residents trapped in their cars.
The extreme circumstances in western New York were caused by numbing cold, howling winds, and heavy “lake-effect” snow, which was picked up by freezing air flowing over warmer lake waters. During a press conference, Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz announced that at least 25 people had perished as a result of the storm, which hit the area over the Christmas holiday weekend.
Hardly hit, Buffalo city of western New York has been highly hit by snow storms. Numerous regions were also left without power as a result of the blizzard.
The storm capped an Arctic freeze and winter storm front that had spanned most of the United States for days, reaching all the way south to the Mexican border. Tens of thousands of homes and businesses remained without power on Monday as rescue and recovery efforts continued.
Citing the White House statement, The Hill reported on Monday that President Biden spoke by phone with New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) and offered federal assistance as New York deals with a massive winter storm that has claimed more than two dozen lives.
“The President shared that his and the First Lady’s prayers are with the people of New York and all those who lost loved ones. He expressed his gratitude to the Governor for her leadership and to the National Guard, law enforcement, and first responders for their tireless work,” the White House said in a statement.
As a consequence of the Arctic blast and the winter storm, numerous people have died and suffered weather-related road accidents or the cold.
The storm has sent temperatures well below freezing across the US and has destroyed Christmas eve for many. As it pounded regions, the storm delivered hurricane-force winds and whiteout conditions.
All kinds of transportation – planes, trains, and vehicles – were disrupted due to the storm this holiday weekend, closing hundreds of miles of road and air travel cancellations.
Total flight delays within, into or out of the US amounted to about 4,000 as of Saturday morning, according to flight tracking website FlightAware, which showed that total US flight cancellations stood at around 2,000.
Plummeting temperatures were predicted to bring the coldest Christmas Eve on record to several cities from Pennsylvania to Georgia.
Biden approves federal aid
Meanwhile, President Joe Biden has approved an emergency declaration for New York amid the ongoing deadly blizzard as requested by state Governor Kathy Hochul.
In a statement, the White House said the President “declared that an emergency exists” in the state and “ordered federal assistance to supplement state and local response efforts due to the emergency conditions resulting from a severe winter storm beginning on December 23”.
“The President’s action authorizes the Department of Homeland Security, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), to coordinate all disaster relief efforts which have the purpose of alleviating the hardship and suffering caused by the emergency on the local population, and to provide appropriate assistance for required emergency measures,” the statement added.
Erie County confirmed 25 deaths from the massive storm, according to Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz.
The ongoing blizzard has caused more deaths to Erie County than the blizzard of 1977, which led to 23 storm-related deaths in western New York.
Meanwhile, the region around Buffalo has been the worst affected.
Biden’s move came in response to Hochul’s request who said that “it is (like) going to a war zone, and the vehicles along the sides of the roads are shocking”.
She said residents were facing a “life-threatening situation”, as many emergency vehicles were unable to reach worst-hit areas or got stuck in snow themselves. Numerous State highways in New York continue to remain closed to all traffic.
Heavy snow is expected to continue to impact areas off Lake Ontario and Lake Erie this week. Another one to two feet of snow is expected east of Lake Ontario through Tuesday, with snowfall rates of three inches per hour on Monday.
The Buffalo area is expected to receive up to an additional foot of snow over the next few days, before temperatures rise later this week and through the weekend.
The “bomb cyclone” winter storm — which occurs when atmospheric pressure plummets, causing heavy snow and winds — has disrupted travel across the US.
Forecasters say it will ease off in the next few days, but the advice remains to avoid travelling unless essential.
