Snowstorm causes dangerous road conditions - delays at Washington airport, USA (Reuters)
The death toll from the cyclone in the United States rose today (Tuesday) to 59 people.
This is the fourth day since the deadly storm, which claimed the lives of many victims - mainly in Erie County in the state of New York.
In the city of Buffalo in the district, where the storm hit with great force, looting was reported in the closed stores.
Disruptions continued in transportation throughout the country and the difficult travel conditions were defined as "life-threatening."
"The life-threateningly low temperatures combined with icy strong winds will create a life-threatening situation for those on the road, farmers and those who work outside the home," reads the National Weather Service alert published last night.
The storm stretches from the Mexican border in the south to the Great Lakes near Canada.
So far, 59 victims have been reported in the storm, of which four died from a bus overturning on a frozen road.
Of the dead, 25 are residents of Erie County in New York State.
The National Weather Service said nearly four feet of snow had fallen at the Buffalo airport by Sunday, and that it was piling up at a rate of two to three inches per hour.
People are freezing to death in their cars (Photo: Surfers Photos, Dikla Timur)
Some of the bodies were found frozen inside cars, and others were found on the ground.
Sophia Clay told the Buffalo News that her brother's body was found near a grocery store at 2 a.m. Saturday, but authorities were unable to reach her until 9 a.m. the next morning.
Some of the victims died from a medical event because the rescue services could not reach them in time.
One person died of carbon monoxide poisoning from a blocked furnace vent.
"We know there are people who have been stuck in their cars for more than two days," said Mark Polonkretz of Erie County.
"There are people in houses in freezing temperatures. Some of the victims, whose ages range from 26 to 93, were found in cars and some were frozen in the streets," he added.
Today, the city authorities turned to neighboring districts for help with food and other equipment, in light of the fact that residents have been barricaded in their homes for four days, and supplies are running out.
New York Governor Kathy Hochul said over the weekend that many of the ambulances and rescue trucks are themselves stuck in the snow, and Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz said: "This is not the Christmas that any of us hoped for or expected."
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The number of victims rose to 59 (Photo: Reuters)
More than 55 million people are still under a weather warning.
Several major cities in the Southwest, Midwest and East Coast even witnessed the coldest Christmas in decades.
In Florida, Sunday, December 25, was the coldest in Miami, Tampa, Orlando and West Palm Beach since 1983. New York also experienced its lowest Christmas Eve temperature, which was the second coldest in at least 150 years.
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