Tips to survive winter weather travel chaos
The Points Guy founder Brian Kelly shares savvy tips for stranded travelers on how to survive the chaos caused by extreme winter weather.
The snow continues to fall and the number of casualties continues to climb in western New York as one of the most severe winter storms in the region's recorded history pummels residents.
As of early Monday afternoon, reports said the death toll was at 27, but Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz had that number at 25. Earlier, he had noted that there may be other deaths that were not confirmed as storm-related.
Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown said police had recovered 18 bodies in the city.
"This has been a very difficult and dangerous storm," Brown said.
Some of those fatalities were the result of people freezing to death while stranded in their cars.
Gov. Kathy Hochul said at a news conference that when it comes to the storm, there is more to come.
"As much as we can see in the sky, we know the storm is coming back," Hochul said, adding that there is a forecast for "another six to 12 inches" of snow. The governor said that while the worst may be over, it is "way too early" to say that the storm itself is a thing of the past.
Hochul also said she has been working with the Biden administration to obtain federal resources to help and has requested a federal declaration of emergency.
WINTER STORM KILLS AT LEAST 12 IN NEW YORK, WITH MORE DEATHS EXPECTED TO BE ANNOUNCED
High wind blows the snow across a neighborhood in Buffalo, New York, on Saturday, Dec. 24, 2022. (AP Photo/Carolyn Thompson)
According to the National Weather Service, the temperature in Buffalo was 16 degrees early Monday morning with continued snow. Poloncarz announced that a driving ban remained in effect for Buffalo, Lackawanna, Amherst, Cheektowaga, Clarence, Evans, Hamburg, Orchard Park and West Seneca. He said that as of Monday at 7 a.m., the ban would be lifted in other parts of the county.
"The Thruway and NYS route are still closed," he noted.
Ice and snow cover a railing along the Lake Erie shoreline on Dec. 24, 2022, in Hamburg, New York. (John Normile/Getty Images)
Power outages have also plagued the Empire State during the freezing weather. As of Monday morning, National Grid reported that 13,377 people had been impacted by outages, with 12,426 of them in Erie County.
Poloncarz said that the number in Erie County is still down significantly from Sunday morning, when 26,404 were without power, "so good progress has been made."
A truck is stuck in snow along the Lake Erie shoreline on Dec. 24, 2022, in Hamburg, New York. (John Normile/Getty Images)
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