Tuesday’s heavy snowstorm proved to be more than just an inconvenience for some in New York’s hardest-hit counties, which are blanketed by six feet of snow that still shows no signs of abatement. At least five people have been killed near Buffalo due to snow-related causes, with other fatalities reported in New Hampshire and Michigan.
One Erie County man was found dead in his car, buried under many feet of snow, while another was killed in a car accident. Three others died from heart attacks — and at least two of them were due to shoveling snow. “This storm is basically a knife that went right through the heart of Erie County,” said Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz.
Countless other residents were stranded in their homes. “We have tried to get out of our house, and we are lucky to be able to shovel so we can open the door,” Buffalo resident Linda Oakley told the AP. “We’re just thinking that in case of an emergency we can at least get out the door. We can’t go any further.”
At least one baby was delivered at a local firehouse, and the Niagara University women’s basketball team spent about 30 hours trapped on a bus before being rescued:
