So many storm deaths in Buffalo

[jyl]

31 dead in one city from the storm! Really sad and kind of shocking. Anyone know what’s causing this - did the weather surprise people?

[red 928]

During a storm like this, the media tends to blame every death on it.
Traffic accident? Storm did it.
House fire? Storm's fault.

I feel for their families and am sure at least a few of the deaths
were directly caused by the storm, but not all of them.

[rfuerst911sc]

Unfortunately it seems many that died ignored warnings to stay off the roads . When there is 2 feet of snow or more on the ground , then add hurricane force winds that is a recipe for disaster . Plus add lake effect snow/ice and you will freeze to death quickly if stranded on the road .

It is very easy to under estimate how deadly cold temps can be . As of this morning I believe the death toll is 31 in Buffalo . RIP to all of them .

[KFC911]

Originally Posted by rfuerst911sc

Unfortunately it seems many that died ignored warnings to stay off the roads . When there is 2 feet of snow or more on the ground , then add hurricane force winds that is a recipe for disaster . Plus add lake effect snow/ice and you will freeze to death quickly if stranded on the road .

It is very easy to under estimate how deadly cold temps can be . As of this morning I believe the death toll is 31 in Buffalo . RIP to all of them .

^^^^ This.... people are stoopid.

[ramonesfreak]

I’m 50 miles East of Buffalo and only had cold and wind. My brother is in Buffalo and missed coming for Xmas and kept us up to date with photos and videos of the snow and wind. I don’t know why/how those people died but my guess is people got stuck in their vehicle and froze or had emergency medical issues and couldn’t be rescued because the wind blowing the snow (blizzard) prevented the plows from keeping up with the rate of snow fall. His neighborhood street wasn’t plowed until Monday. So even though he cleared his own driveway, he couldn’t go anywhere for days. As of yesterday, the NYS thruway was closed from here all the way West to the Pennsylvania border. Having over 5 feet of snow that covers and hides abandoned vehicles makes it difficult to plow.

[KFC911]

Local guys were recovered on Monday.... went duck hunting in a kayak a couple of days earlier when temps were near 0.

Stoopid + accident = death .

[NYPorsche]

A combination of those who went out and the inability of fire/EMS to respond. They didn't institute a driving ban until about 30 minutes before it got bad on Friday morning, and without the driving ban many empoyers still required their employees to come in, so a lot of people got stuck when they instituted the ban and tried to get home. I'm in Buffalo and we were warned starting Friday night that effectively there were no emergency services available due to the roads being impassible. There were a few deaths from cardiac arrest or other medical emergencies where the first responders just couldn't get there. At the height of the storm, there were about 20k residences without power. Most of those are back on, but unfortunately the death toll is expected to rise as searching continues.

We got about 36" at my house and we had the first plow come through around 11 pm last night. Like Ramones' brother - my driveway and sidewalks have been clear for a few days, but there's been no way to get in or out of the neighborhood. and no way an ambulance or police car was getting down my street. That also delayed the power crews from getting out to quickly get power restored.

This was the biggest storm I've seen in the 20 years I've lived here, but as a city that sees snow regularly our street clearing is a joke. We've had the same do-nothing Mayor for 17 years now, and his handling of the municipal departments is a case study in mismanagement. We're still under a driving ban and supposedly the NYS Troopers are stationed around the city and ticketing.

[mattdavis11]

I read there were 3 that died from cardiac issues while shoveling or blowing snow. I guess it just couldn't wait. I love the can do attitude.

[Skytrooper]

Originally Posted by NYPorsche

A combination of those who went out and the inability of fire/EMS to respond. They didn't institute a driving ban until about 30 minutes before it got bad on Friday morning, and without the driving ban many empoyers still required their employees to come in, so a lot of people got stuck when they instituted the ban and tried to get home. I'm in Buffalo and we were warned starting Friday night that effectively there were no emergency services available due to the roads being impassible. There were a few deaths from cardiac arrest or other medical emergencies where the first responders just couldn't get there. At the height of the storm, there were about 20k residences without power. Most of those are back on, but unfortunately the death toll is expected to rise as searching continues.

We got about 36" at my house and we had the first plow come through around 11 pm last night. Like Ramones' brother - my driveway and sidewalks have been clear for a few days, but there's been no way to get in or out of the neighborhood. and no way an ambulance or police car was getting down my street. That also delayed the power crews from getting out to quickly get power restored.

This was the biggest storm I've seen in the 20 years I've lived here, but as a city that sees snow regularly our street clearing is a joke. We've had the same do-nothing Mayor for 17 years now, and his handling of the municipal departments is a case study in mismanagement. We're still under a driving ban and supposedly the NYS Troopers are stationed around the city and ticketing.

This is the fact ! Local and State travel bans came way too late. It was a huge storm and it was going to hit the area in a bad way. Everybody knew it. The local and state officials let their constituents down by not affecting a ban the prior day.

[devodave]

I live about 40 miles due south of Buffalo, but it seems a world away. That's just the nature of the snow bands we see in WNY. This year (so far), the bands have stayed over Buffalo and the Southtowns (Hamburg, Orchard Park), so they have gotten the brunt of the storms. At our house, we have perhaps 6" on the ground total from the 3 major storms so far this year, but some years we have gotten up to 360" total snowfall by the end of the season. The point is that the nature of the bands may lull folks into a false sense of security as you may think you will drive through it. There was plenty of notice about the falling temperatures, the snow, and the wind for folks to be prepared. But I will agree that if employers were requiring folks to report to work, especially in the retail sector right before Christmas, folks would have felt a need to be out. I'm lucky that I haven't had to leave the house since Thursday night, but others may not have been so fortunate. Today is already starting out much warmer. Now we will have to be concerned about potential flooding as the snow melts.

[rfuerst911sc]

The sad fact is some people perish in natural disasters . Freezing to death in a blizzard or drowning in a hurricane the results are the same . Local and state officials can put " bans " in place they are not effective to those that choose to ignore .

An old motorcycle license instructor said to our class " how much risk are you willing to take " . It was a reference to obeying traffic laws and driving stupid . There are consequences. When choosing to go drive in a winter blizzard or a hurricane I would ask how much risk are you willing to take ?

It's unfortunate that some place themselves in a situation that end up with tragic results .

[GH85Carrera]

To someone that thankfully has never been close to Buffalo in winter, it is amazing that people that live there, and get lake effect snow regularly would have so many deaths from snow and cold. When I think of bad winter storms, Buffalo is the place I think of.

[speeder]

Originally Posted by mattdavis11

I read there were 3 that died from cardiac issues while shoveling or blowing snow. I guess it just couldn't wait. I love the can do attitude.

Sadly, a certain amount of that is a normal occurrence in the parts of the country that gets extreme winter weather. In Minnesota, it was a normal way to die.

Originally Posted by GH85Carrera

To someone that thankfully has never been close to Buffalo in winter, it is amazing that people that live there, and get lake effect snow regularly would have so many deaths from snow and cold. When I think of bad winter storms, Buffalo is the place I think of.

I thought the same thing, Buffalo is famous for snowfall. This must have been exceptionally nasty.

[jyl]

"Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz tweeted that 14 of the deaths in the Buffalo area resulted from exposure to extreme cold [from tweet: these bodies were found outside]. He said three people were found dead in their vehicles, four died without heat, three died from shoveling or snow-clearing related cardiac events, and three died after EMS services couldn’t reach them in time."

Of the 14 who died outside, I wonder how many were trying to walk to safety after their cars were stuck, versus had originally set out on a foot journey.

[stevej37]

We had a few scattered around MI
This one was blamed on the storm.....walking her dog.

https://www.mlive.com/news/2022/12/woman-82-dies-of-cold-exposure-while-walking-dog-outside-assisted-living-facility-in-michigan.html#:~:text=News-,Woman%2C%2082%2C%20dies%20of%20cold%20exposure%20 while%20walking%20dog%20outside,assisted%2Dliving% 20facility%20in%20Michigan&text=Published%3A%20Dec.,%2C%202022%2C%209%3A51%20 a.m.

[nota]

dog sleds snowmobile snowcat something should be able to fetch people stuck or struck ill

do cell phones work in heavy snow ?

criminal lack of planning ? or just cheap as can be ?

one more reason not to be a Yankee

we set a lowest high temp here ever from dec
but it will be 84 by newyears

[TimT]

Niagara Falls Partially Freezes

[flatbutt]

Originally Posted by nota

dog sleds snowmobile snowcat something should be able to fetch people stuck or struck ill

do cell phones work in heavy snow ?

criminal lack of planning ? or just cheap as can be ?

one more reason not to be a Yankee

we set a lowest high temp here ever from dec
but it will be 84 by newyears

You just can't avoid being negative can you. I almost feel sorry for you.

[greglepore]

Originally Posted by jyl

"Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz tweeted that 14 of the deaths in the Buffalo area resulted from exposure to extreme cold [from tweet: these bodies were found outside]. He said three people were found dead in their vehicles, four died without heat, three died from shoveling or snow-clearing related cardiac events, and three died after EMS services couldn’t reach them in time."

Of the 14 who died outside, I wonder how many were trying to walk to safety after their cars were stuck, versus had originally set out on a foot journey.

Yeah. Its why I cringe when people don't bring warm gear with them when they venture out. Its warm in the car, sure, but if stuff hits the fan you better be prepared.

[Wetwork]

Another possibility is that with the power out for so many homes, they went to their cars to warm up and charge their phones/laptops. All it takes is the exhaust to be plugged up with snow.-WW