Dozens killed as 'blizzard of the century' strikes the US
27 December 2022, 16:16 | Updated: 27 December 2022, 16:38
Americans have been trapped in their cars for two days as the “blizzard of the century” claimed dozens of lives.
The US is in the grip of one of the worst winter storms it has ever seen, plunging the country into freezing temperatures and blanketing it in heavy snow and perilous ice.
A total of 63 people have died from the storm, according to an NBC tally, and authorities in western New York have reported 28 fatalities in the city of Buffalo alone.
Vermont, Ohio, Missouri, Colorado, Kansas and Wisconsin have also suffered deaths.
The governor there, Kathy Hochul, said it was like a “war zone”, with motorists left stuck in their cars as emergency responders struggle to get to them.
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Most of the deaths in New York state took place in Buffalo, where Ms Hochul is from.
A state official said some people had been stuck in their cars for more than two days. Up to nine more inches of snow has been forecast for some parts of the state.
One of the victims was 22-year-old Anndel Taylor, who died over the weekend. She was driving home from work on Friday when her car got stranded in the snow.
She left a final video for her family, and was found dead inside her vehicle. Her mother believes she died from carbon monoxide poisoning but that was not confirmed.
The video Ms Taylor left showed her still stuck just after midnight on Saturday, and she was later discovered on Saturday afternoon. She told her family she was scared and showed how much snow had trapped her.
Another driver, Ditjak Ilunga, from Maryland, was travelling through the Buffalo area to see relatives in Canada when his SUV got trapped.
He told CBS News that he abandoned the car to get shelter, carrying his six-year-old daughter Destiny on his back as his other daughter, Cindy, followed with their puppy.
He said he remembered thinking: “If I stay in this car I’m going to die here with my kids.”
Mr Ilunga added that when they got to a shelter, he broke down in tears.
The local medical examiner’s office says many victims of the storm in the Buffalo area died of heart problems as they shovelled or tried to clear snow.
More deaths are expected to be discovered as the snow melts away.
With hundreds of thousands of properties without power, the US is hoping forecasters are correct when they predict the weather will ease up in the coming days.
Americans have still been told to avoid travelling, however.
Temperatures as low as -45C have been recorded in Montana – with fears that such low temperatures could induce frostbite in mere minutes.
