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Buffalo (USA) , Dec. 29 (AP) — National Guard troops went door-to-door in parts of Buffalo Wednesday to check on people who lost power during the region’s deadliest winter storm in decades, as authorities The tragic possibility of finding more victims in the snow is melting.
More than 30 people have been reported dead in western New York from the snowstorm that swept across much of the country on Friday and Saturday, while Buffalo was targeted.
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Carolyn Eubanks’ son, Antwaine Parker, told The Buffalo News that first responders were unable to answer calls at her Buffalo home. Carolyn Eubanks, who was on an oxygen machine, collapsed after the power went out in her home.
“She was like, I can’t go anymore.” I begged her, Mom, to get up. She fell into my arms and never said a word,” Parker told the newspaper.
Parker and his stepbrother knocked on nearby doors for help. They found it when a stranger, David Purdy, answered and helped them lift Eubanks, 63, inside and try to revive her. Purdy and his fiancée guarded her body until first responders arrived the next day.
“I did my best to be respectful,” Purdy told the Buffalo News.
Timothy Murphy, 27, died after snow covered a furnace and emitted carbon monoxide into his Lockport home, the Niagara County Sheriff’s Office said. The daughter of Monique Alexander, 52, told The Buffalo News that she was found buried in snow for unknown reasons after going out during the storm.
Anndel Taylor, 22, was trapped in her car on the way home from get off work and died, her family told WSOC-TV.
Members of the New York National Guard were knocking on the doors of Buffalo and its suburbs as the bitter cold turned to milder weather on Wednesday, with fewer ongoing power outages.
“We are concerned that someone may have died, is living alone, or is not well,” said Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz, which includes Buffalo.
A pair of National Guard soldiers armed with clipboards knocked on the door of a home as nearby people tried to carve a path to a business on a major Buffalo thoroughfare.
Twenty-five guard teams conducted such tours on Wednesday, spokesman Eric Toure said by phone. The troops had previously conducted some health checks, but went out with a specific list of questions, including whether residents had food, water, electricity or any special health or medication concerns, he said.
“The idea was to understand: What is the need out there?” said Doerr, noting that troops were delivering food and water to those who needed it.
Buffalo Police Chief Joseph Gramaria said he and officers from other agencies are also looking for victims, sometimes using officers’ personal snowmobiles, trucks and other equipment.
With the death toll already surpassing the death toll from the region’s infamous 1977 blizzard, local officials faced questions about how to respond to last week’s storm. They insisted they were prepared but the weather was extraordinary even for a region prone to severe winter storms.
“The city did everything it could to do during the historic snowstorm conditions,” Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown, a Democrat, said at a news conference.
New York’s second-most populous city still had enough snow to keep driving off limits as officials worked to clear storm drains and watched forecasts for rain later in the week. Erie County officials said they were preparing for possible flooding and ice jams in local creeks.
The National Weather Service said any flooding is expected to be minor.
Buffalo Niagara International Airport reopened after being closed for five days, but many flights were canceled.
With temperatures expected to rise into the 40s on Wednesday and drop to the 50s by Friday, local officials worked to clear storm drains and watched forecasts for rain later in the week Erie County officials said they were preparing for possible flooding and ice jams in local creeks.
The weather service said only minor flooding was expected.
While suburban roads and most major highways reopened in the area Tuesday, state and military police were assigned to enforce Buffalo’s driving ban. Poloncarz said the goal is to have at least one lane open on each street by Wednesday night.
It’s tough. Even on some of the city’s main streets, cars were still buried in snow Wednesday and were towed away to make way for snowplows.
Erie County Sheriff’s Deputy William Cooley said deputies were helping people with important medical appointments, such as dialysis. (Associated Press)
(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from a Syndicated News feed, the content body may not have been modified or edited by LatestLY staff)
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