Buffalo officials had more grim news to report Tuesday morning: The city’s blizzard-related death toll had reached 28, Mayor Byron Brown said during a press conference. And that number, which had risen by eight since yesterday, was expected to rise as more buried vehicles were uncovered.
“Buffalo has been ground-zero for this storm,” Brown said. “The impact for this winter storm was the most harsh in Buffalo of Erie County and of Western New York. These are not normal snowfall conditions.”
As the city remained under a driving ban, emergency crews shifted from rescue efforts to snow removal, with 268 pieces of equipment active to clear main and residential streets. Like the storm a month ago that dumped several feet in a short period, the removal leaned away from plows and more toward front loaders picking up snow and dropping it into dump trucks, which were then bound for four dumping sites spread throughout the city.
🚨#BREAKING: Wild scene from Buffalo as homes are fully covered in ice
Jaw dropping video shows houses covered in ice homes near the water were encased in ice and dripping with icicles from Powerful winds and strong waves from Lake Erie pic.twitter.com/q9GFeEhE6u
— R A W S A L E R T S (@rawsalerts) December 25, 2022
