Extreme weather accounts for over 50 deaths as ‘rescue and recovery’ continue across country

At least 50 deaths have allegedly occurred due to the extreme winter weather wreaking havoc over the holiday week across the United States. With thousands of canceled flights, the Associated Press reports nearly 60 percent of the U.S. population faced some sort of winter-weather advisory or warning over the Christmas weekend.

In western New York, authorities said the death roll has risen to 27 in the Buffalo-area from “one of the worst weather-related disasters in its history.” The Associated Press reports the harrowing discoveries that “the dead around Buffalo were found in their cars, homes and in snowbanks.” New York Governor Kathy Hochul said almost every fire truck in Buffalo was stranded Saturday

“Some died while shoveling show” the AP continues. Rescue and recovery efforts continued nationwide on Monday, with a death toll of 50 thus far. Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz said the blizzard in their area was “the worst storm probably in our lifetime” and warned there may be more dead. He added there is knowledge of many people being stranded in their cars for more than two days.

“It’s just a horrible situation that we can see sort of the light at the end of the tunnel. But this is not the end yet,” he said on Monday. The National Weather Service said Monday up to 9 more inches of snow could fall in some areas, continuing through Tuesday.

The extreme weather covered the country ranging from the Great Lakes near Canada all the way south to the Rio Grande along the border with Mexico. Nearly 2,085 domestic and international flights were canceled as of noon on Monday.