Buffalo, New York, was slammed by the storm's full intensity, with hurricane-force winds generating whiteout conditions. The international airport of the city was closed, and emergency response operations were immobilised.
Officials in the U.S. have linked deaths to the storm's exposure, traffic accidents, falling tree limbs, and other consequences. In the Buffalo area, at least three individuals perished, including two who had medical issues in their homes but couldn't be saved because emergency personnel couldn't get to them due to the region's record-breaking blizzard conditions.
Buffalo residents scrambled Saturday to get out of their homes to wherever that had heat due to the deep snow, single-digit temperatures, and day-old power outages. The Buffalo Niagara International Airport will be closed through Monday morning, according to New York Governor Kathy Hochul, and practically all of the city's fire trucks are stuck in the snow.
No matter how many emergency vehicles we have, they are currently unable to pass due to the road conditions, Hochul stated.
From Maine to Seattle, blinding blizzards, freezing rain, and bitter cold also caused power outages, and a major electrical grid operator warned the 65 million people it serves in the eastern United States that rolling blackouts might be necessary.
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