More than 64 people are dead as a result of severe winter weather that’s blanketed much of the country this week. Western New York was particularly hard-hit as state and military police arrived in Buffalo to enforce a driving ban. Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz warned, “It’s ugly right now on many of the streets,” and added, “I’m begging – stay home.”
Authorities put the death toll at more than 30 people in the region. They succumbed to bitter cold, power outages and impassable streets that have blocked emergency care.
Police have also responded to people looting stores across Buffalo, prompting multiple arrests. Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown called them “the lowest of the low.” He explained, “They’re not looting food and medicines. They’re just looting items that they want.”
Still, inspiring stories abound. Neighbors continue to help each other shovel out, and a local barber opened his shop to those who needed a place to stay. Another group of friends on snowmobiles waved dozens of stranded people. One of those stranded, motorist Eddie Porter, said, “These guys were helping people. He said he knew a place he could take us and he would help us out. I guess God sent an angel.”
Across the country, severe cold has blanketed many regions with snow and ice. It’s also played havoc with Christmas travel. Tuesday was another day of canceled flights – at least 3,000 of them – Southwest Airlines was responsible for more than 2,500 of the cancellations.
The freezing temperatures have also upended water systems. In Jackson, Mississippi, people stood in long lines for water, after bitterly cold temperatures froze pipes. In Ohio, a pipe burst, flooding the Statehouse in Columbus.
More than 60 percent of the U.S. population has faced some kind of winter weather advisory or warning during this arctic blast. Temperatures are expected to rise in the coming days, and that’s good news for some, although authorities warn that flooding could plague areas already hard-hit.
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