Cold wave rolls over USA: number of deaths continues to rise - authorities are now warning of flooding
Created: 12/30/2022 9:53 am
By: Bettina Menzel, Martina Lippl
Extreme snowfall and freezing cold have been causing chaos in the USA for days.
The city of Buffalo in the state of New York is particularly affected.
All information in the news ticker.
Masses of snow in the US city of Buffalo (New York state): emergency services rescue the dead from their cars or under snowdrifts.
Snowstorm "Elliott" in the USA: Military police impose driving ban in Buffalo.
This news ticker on
extreme weather
in the city of Buffalo and the USA is continuously updated.
Update from December 29, 11:10 a.m .:
The cold wave in the USA not only caused numerous deaths, many animals are also likely not to have survived the sometimes arctic temperatures.
Hundreds of bats have been saved from certain death by animal rights activists in the US state of Texas.
The tiny Mexican free-tailed bats, which live in a huge colony under a bridge in the metropolis of Houston, almost froze to death in the extreme cold that hit large parts of the USA before Christmas and hundreds of them fell onto the sidewalk from a height of nine meters announced the Houston Humane Society.
The bats are "tiny and have very little body fat, so they can't survive long lying on the ground in freezing temperatures," the animal rights activists wrote on their Facebook page.
They immediately launched a rescue operation and, with the help of several volunteers, have collected more than 1,500 bats since last Thursday.
The nocturnal mammals were brought to a warm place - in an animal shelter and in the attic of animal rights activist Mary Warwick.
Most needed only warmth and water to survive, but some had to be placed in incubators and fed intravenously.
"Amazingly, most of the bats survived," the animal rights activists said.
When temperatures climbed back to a comfortable 22 degrees Celsius on Wednesday, they brought almost 700 bats back to their roost under the bridge.
Cold wave rolls over USA: number of deaths continues to rise - authorities are now warning of flooding
Update from December 29, 6.30 a.m .:
According to the latest information, at least 59 people died due to the severe snowstorm in the USA.
In Erie County in the state of New York alone, the death toll rose to 37, the authorities announced on Wednesday.
Around 500 residents in the city of Buffalo were still without power, according to Mayor Byron Brown.
In view of the now rising temperatures, the authorities warned of a thaw.
"As temperatures increase, we expect snow to melt and potential rapid-melt flooding to occur," Erie County Administrator Mark Poloncarz said.
After the winter storm comes the thaw: US authorities warn of flooding.
© Jeffrey T. Barnes/dpa
An arctic cold front with temperatures down to minus 40 degrees Celsius had plunged large parts of the USA into chaos shortly before Christmas.
The situation in Buffalo and the surrounding areas of Erie County was particularly dramatic.
Several bodies were found in their cars or under snowdrifts.
The snowstorm has also been causing chaos in air traffic for days.
The airline Southwest Airlines, which had to cancel more than 2,500 more flights on Wednesday, is particularly affected.
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Cold snap hits US: Biden approves emergency aid for 'Snowstorm of the Century'
Update from December 28, 9:20 p.m .:
The heavy snowstorm over large parts of the USA continues to have devastating effects.
In Erie County alone in New York State, which was particularly hard hit, the authorities reported 34 fatalities from the cold snap, and at least 56 people across the country died in the "Snowstorm of the Century".
Air traffic was further restricted by the snowstorm on Wednesday.
US President Joe Biden meanwhile approved federal emergency aid for New York State.
In view of the now rising temperatures, the authorities warned of a thaw on Wednesday.
"As temperatures increase, we expect snow to melt and potential rapid-melt flooding to occur," Erie County Administrator Mark Poloncarz said.
The driving ban in the particularly affected city of Buffalo remained in force on Wednesday.
The National Guard will go from house to house in areas where power has not yet been restored to ensure residents are safe, Poloncarz wrote on Twitter.
According to Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown, police expect more deaths.
Thousands of people remained without power in Buffalo.
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.
Workers use heavy equipment to clear snow from Richmond Avenue in Buffalo.
The winter storm "Elliot" had hit the US city hard.
© picture alliance/dpa/The Buffalo News |
Derek Gee
US cold snap: Erie County death toll rises to 34
Update from December 28, 6:05 p.m .:
The number of fatalities as a result of the cold spell in the USA has risen to 34 in Erie County, New York State.
The US broadcaster CNN reported on Wednesday evening, German time.
There had previously been talk of 31 deaths as a result of the winter storm.
The death toll could rise as first responders and emergency services continue to clear the streets and search for people, according to the report.
Cold wave in the USA: Houses in Buffalo covered by a complete layer of ice
Update from December 28, 12:31 p.m .:
The situation in Buffalo is incredibly dangerous after the severe winter storm, as the many deaths show.
In addition to the masses of snow, some houses are even covered by a complete layer of ice, as several pictures and videos on social media show.
The news podcast
Mo New
s features one of these chilling, but fascinating footage.
Winter Storm “Elliott”: snow clearing almost impossible – military police imposed driving ban in Buffalo
First report from December 28, 2022:
Buffalo – The US Weather Service had warned of a severe winter storm before Christmas.
Then an Arctic cold front – also known as a bomb cyclone – swept across much of the country.
Massive snowfalls and extreme cold caused chaos.
Several states declared states of emergency.
Millions of US citizens had to cancel their holiday travel plans.
Traveling in these conditions is extremely dangerous.
Storm "Elliott" developed into a "historic winter storm".
In addition, temperatures dropped well below minus 30 degrees in some cases - in the US state of Montana even below 40 degrees.
Masses of snow in the US city of Buffalo (New York state): emergency services rescue the dead from their cars or under snowdrifts
At least 50 people have died nationwide in the "Snowstorm of the Century".
In the Erie County area in the US state of New York, the authorities report almost 31 deaths.
"We are recovering from one of the worst storms we have ever seen, unfortunately with the highest death toll we have ever had from any storm," Erie County Administrator Mark Poloncarz said at a news conference Tuesday.
A blizzard in 1977 claimed 29 lives.
Monster storm in the United States hit the city of Buffalo, New York, in particular.
© JOED VIERA/afp
Snowstorm in the USA: Nurse (22) gets stuck in the snow with her car – dead
The city of Buffalo (275,000 inhabitants) is particularly affected in the county west of New York.
In Buffalo, the dead were found in cars, homes and snowdrifts.
Some people died while shoveling snow, others died because rescue workers could not respond to medical emergencies in time.
More bodies are expected to be found as the snow is cleared or melts.
Rescue workers search stuck cars.
A young nurse (22) got stuck with her car in the snow on her way from work.
Only 18 hours later, rescue workers found the 22-year-old dead, reports the afp news agency.
The forces themselves had been trapped in the snow.
Snow chaos in the USA: military police imposed a driving ban in snow-covered Buffalo
The city of Buffalo is buried under masses of snow.
The snow is almost meters high.
According to its own statements, Buffalo Niagara International Airport will remain closed until at least December 28th.
The amount of snow is historic, even if the area is winter and snow tried.
However, the extreme onset of winter is currently challenging the city.
Clearing the streets is almost impossible.
A driving ban still applies.
State and military police were dispatched Tuesday to keep people off Buffalo's snow-covered streets.
In Buffalo, only snow plows and tracked excavators are allowed to drive on the snowy roads.
The police shared photos of stranded cars in the snow on social media.
"They can definitely go out and check on neighbors, go to open shops, and so on.
But don't drive," Poloncarz wrote on Twitter.
Snowstorm in the USA: A New York State Trooper car blocks the entrance to Route 198 in Buffalo.
© Jeffrey T. Barnes/dpa
Thousands of people are without power in Buffalo days after the storm.
Many grocery stores and pharmacies are still closed.
Some residents are desperate.
Most major highways in the area have reopened.
According to the weather service, temperatures are expected to rise to 10 degrees by the weekend.
The blizzard wasn't the first winter spectacle in the USA.
Large amounts of snow caused a state of emergency in New York as early as November.
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