US President Joe Biden issued a state of emergency in New York and ordered federal assistance to supplement state and local response efforts to the winter storm.
The White House said the president spoke with New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) earlier in the day and offered to provide the state's full support in its response to the storm.
Hochul, who declared a state of emergency in New York last Thursday before the storm, said Biden agreed to "swiftly approve" the state's request for a federal declaration, calling it "crucial to aid assist efforts to recover from this historic storm."
“The President shared that his and the First Lady’s prayers are with the people of New York and all those who lost loved ones. He expressed his gratitude to the Governor for her leadership and to the National Guard, law enforcement, and first responders for their tireless work,” the White House said in a statement.
The death toll from the storm in New York reached 28 on Monday, according to the Associated Press, accounting for half of the total deaths attributed to the Christmas weekend storm that swept the country.
Many of the deaths in New York are in Erie County, around Buffalo.
“I am sad to announce that our City has lost at least 20 members of our community due to the winter storm. Everyone, please continue to be safe,” Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown tweeted on Monday.
Eighteen storm-related deaths were confirmed over the weekend in Erie and Niagara counties, local outlet WIVB reported, before topping twenty on Monday.
Up to 49 inches of snow was reported in some areas of western New York as of Monday afternoon, with local authorities warning of more on the way.
“This is a major disaster that in some ways may turn out to be worse than the blizzard of ’77,” Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz said at a news conference on Sunday.
The city has asked residents to move cars off the roads as responders try to rescue motorists who are still stuck. The governor also deployed more than 400 National Guard troops to western New York to assist with relief efforts.
Brown noted on Monday that nearly 10,000 Buffalo residents remain without power, down from a peak of about 20,000.
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