The dimensions of the disaster emerged in the city of Buffalo, New York, which was most affected by the freezing snowstorm in the USA. While the death toll from the blizzard rose to 48, it was announced that 60 percent of the country’s population was in danger.
The blizzard, which has affected a large part of the USA, continues. In the city, where the snow thickness exceeds one meter, vehicles are banned from traffic.
SHELVES ARE EMPTY
Americans consumed basic food items in the markets for fear of heavy and long snowfall, the shelves of the markets were emptied.
According to local sources, there were also looting incidents at a supermarket. Some residents of the city of Buffalo, stranded by the snowstorm, celebrated Christmas at the firehouses.
94 PERCENT LEFT WITHOUT ELECTRICITY
Millions of people in the USA were left without electricity due to the snowstorm. New York’s Erie County manager, Mark Poloncarz, said in a statement that 94 percent of the homes and businesses in the county were out of power, but there were still power cuts in 12,000 homes and businesses.
Expressing that they expect about 20 centimeters of snow during the day, Poloncarz said, “This is a terrible situation. This has not been good as we are trying to open up and clear the streets and enter areas that have not yet been cleared.” said.
THE NUMBER OF DEAD IS INCREASING QUICKLY
It was reported that the death toll in the snowstorm in Erie County rose from 13 to 27 in one day.
According to data collected by the Associated Press across the country, the death toll from snowstorms rose to 27 in New York, 10 each in Ohio, three each in Kansas and Kentucky, two each in Colorado, and one each in Missouri, Tennessee and Wisconsin. The number of people who lost their lives reached 48.
On the other hand, according to the American NBC television, 55 people died in the states of Colorado, Illinois, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Missouri, Nebraska, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Tennessee and Wisconsin.
60 percent of the population is under the influence of snowstorm
The “deadly blizzard”, which expanded from the Great Lakes in Canada to the Rio Grande on the Mexican border, adversely affected nearly 60 percent of the US population.
Flight tracking site FlightAware reported that nearly 13,000 flights have been canceled in the US in the last 4 days.
A “ONCE IN GENERATION” COLD OF INTENSITY
In the US, on December 21, national and local weather reporting agencies warned of “once-in-generation” severe cold and snow conditions.
The National Weather Service (NOAA) has announced that cold weather conditions that have not been experienced in the last 40 years are approaching in some parts of the country.
The weather service pointed out that “heavy snowfall could make travel very difficult or impossible and could be life-threatening.”
Inaddition, it was shared that the storm that will occur with the effect of cold weather will be equivalent to the pressure of the 3rd category hurricane in the Great Lakes region of the country on the Canadian border.
UNDER RIVER WATER
Due to the storm, the ground floors of some hospitals and businesses on New Jersey’s coastline overlooking Manhattan were flooded by the overflowing Hudson River, while many vehicles exposed to the flood were damaged.
The coastal areas of Queens and Brooklyn were also damaged by rising ocean waters, while waves brought by high winds rendered some coastal streets and habitats unusable.