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A Buffalo, New York resident tries to make his way through the snow
Photo: JOED VIERA / AFP
At least 53 people have died in the United States because of the cold snap.
In the state of New York, which was particularly affected, the authorities reported 31 fatalities in the district of Erie alone, which also includes the city of Buffalo.
Thousands of flights were also canceled on Wednesday as a result of the storm.
US President Joe Biden approved federal emergency aid for New York State.
"We are recovering from one of the worst storms we have ever seen, unfortunately with the highest death toll ever from a storm," Erie County Administrator Mark Poloncarz told reporters.
According to Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown, police expect more deaths.
And now new dangers are looming: The US weather service predicted thaw for western New York State in the coming days.
After sometimes double-digit minus degrees, temperatures of around ten degrees Celsius are now predicted for the weekend.
The authorities are already warning of floods caused by melting snow, as also reported by CNN.
Thousands of people remained without power in Buffalo after the Christmas holiday.
Dead people were found in their cars or under snowdrifts.
Rescue workers went from vehicle to vehicle in search of other fatalities or stranded drivers.
A 22-year-old from Buffalo died in her car after getting stuck in the snow on her way home from work, WSOC-TV reported, citing her family.
Rescue workers who got stuck themselves during a rescue attempt found her dead 18 hours later.
According to her family, the young woman may have died of carbon monoxide poisoning.
A father told The New York Times that he was stuck in his car in Buffalo with his four young children for 11 hours.
Zila Santiago, 30, ran his engine to generate heat and gave juice to his children.
They were eventually rescued by a passing snowplow at dawn.
Meanwhile, a driving ban for Buffalo remained in effect on Tuesday.
“You can definitely go out and check on neighbors, go to open shops, and so on.
But don't drive," wrote the head of administration, Poloncarz, on Twitter.
Some residents of the city, used to snowstorms, criticized that the driving ban imposed on Friday morning came too late to avoid chaos.
Too many people drove anyway and didn't obey the ban.
Buffalo's airport remained closed, with more than 5,900 flights canceled nationwide on Tuesday and Wednesday, according to flightaware.com.
The airline Southwest Airlines was particularly affected, with more than 60 percent of its flights being cancelled, as also reported by ABC News.
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