December 30, 2022
2 mins read

Death toll climbs as blizzard-battered Buffalo area digs out

At least 40 deaths in western New York, most of them in Buffalo, have been reported from the blizzard that raged across much of the country…reports Asian Lite News

Roads reopened Thursday in storm-besieged Buffalo as authorities continued searching for people who may have died or are stuck and suffering after last week’s blizzard.

The driving ban in New York’s second-most-populous city was lifted just after midnight Thursday, Mayor Byron Brown announced.

At least 40 deaths in western New York, most of them in Buffalo, have been reported from the blizzard that raged across much of the country, with Buffalo in its crosshairs on Friday and Saturday.

“Significant progress has been made” on snow removal, Brown said at a news conference late Wednesday. Suburban roads, major highways and Buffalo Niagara International Airport had already reopened.

Still, Brown urged residents not to drive if they didn’t have to.

The National Guard was going door-to-door to check on people who lost power, and authorities faced the possibility of finding more victims as snow melted amid increasingly mild weather. Buffalo police and officers from other law enforcement agencies also searched for victims, sometimes using officers’ personal snowmobiles, trucks and other equipment.

Some victims have yet to be identified, Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz said at a storm briefing Thursday.

“There are families in this community who still have not been able to identify where a loved one is, they’re missing,” he said.

With the death toll already surpassing that of the area’s notorious Blizzard of 1977 and rising daily, local officials faced questions about the response to last week’s storm. They insisted that they prepared but the weather was extraordinary, even for a region prone to powerful winter storms.

“The city did everything that it could under historic blizzard conditions,” the mayor said Wednesday.

Meanwhile, officials watched a forecast that calls for some rain later in the week as snow melts in temperatures approaching or topping 50 degrees (10 Celsius).

The National Weather Service forecast that any flooding would be minor, but state and local officials said they were preparing nonetheless. Gov. Kathy Hochul said the state was ready to deploy nearly 800,000 sandbags and more than 300 pumps and generators for flooding response efforts if needed.

During his briefing, Poloncarz apologized for publicly criticizing the city of Buffalo’s snow removal efforts as too slow, even “embarrassing,” a day earlier.

ALSO READ: Indian-American named to US National Space Council advisory group

Previous Story

The changing face of Test Cricket

Next Story

Trump’s tax returns to be released after long fight

Latest from -Top News

UAE-India pact fuels future biz leaders

MoU between ADSM and UIBC-UC to foster entrepreneurship, mentorship, and collaborative research between UAE and India through 2028 In a landmark partnership aimed at cultivating the next generation of global business leaders,

‘1,563 Indians deported from US so far’

Though the ministry did not specify the reasons behind the deportations, the figure reflects a sharp uptick in removals under the Trump administration’s renewed focus on immigration enforcement…reports Asian Lite News More

Why TRF’s Terror Tag Matters

This wasn’t just counterterror—it was a signal. India fused intel, precision strikes, and tech for a swift, strategic blow. TRF wasn’t just named—it was hit….writes John Spencer  Today, July 17, 2025, the

Jaishankar Hails TRF Terror Tag

The US Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, made the official announcement on Thursday…reports Asian Lite News Reacting to the US designating The Resistance Front (TRF), a proxy of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), as a
Go toTop

Don't Miss

India slams US’ sanction warning

A day after the US warned of sanction risk after

US okays expansion of China flights  

American Airlines, Delta Air Lines and United Airlines will be