More people have died in the US state of New York as a result of a severe winter storm that hit North America, according to local authorities.
Erie County, which contains Buffalo, has seen at least 34 fatalities, according to county executive Mark Poloncarz on Wednesday.
Three of the victims’ identities are still being sought by authorities.
At least 60 people have died as a result of the storm that blasted over the US over the holiday weekend in eight states.
More people have died in Erie County recently than there were during the notorious Buffalo snowstorm of 1977. According to the National Weather Service, that storm claimed the lives of 29 individuals.
During a press conference on Wednesday morning, Mr. Poloncarz remarked, “It’s a terrible storm with too many deaths.
However, things are starting to get better in some of the hardest-hit areas of the US, notably New York.
Less than 1,000 homes are currently without power in Erie County, and 95% of people should have electricity restored by the end of the day, according to Mr. Poloncarz.
Road clearance has advanced in Buffalo, which received more than four feet (1.2m) of snow, according to county officials. Despite the fact that a driving prohibition is still in place because of the hazardous conditions, at least 65% of city roadways have at least one lane open for traffic, according to Mr. Poloncarz.
Additionally, the city’s rail service has resumed operations on a limited schedule, while the nearby Buffalo Niagara International Airport reopened at 11:00 local time (16:00 GMT) after closing last Friday.
Since authorities are “fearful” that some people living alone may have died during the storm, the US National Guard is conducting wellness checks door to door in communities in the county that lost power, according to Mr. Poloncarz.
The county is currently preparing for the prospect of flooding, the county executive added, as temperatures are rising and snow is starting to melt.
Residents in other parts of the US and Canada continue to struggle with the aftermath of the catastrophic winter storm as well as brand-new hazardous weather phenomena.
An “atmospheric river,” a long, narrow path of atmospheric moisture that may produce heavy precipitation, has caused strong winds and rain in states in the western US and the Rocky Mountains region.
The Weather Prediction Center predicts that the “deep and fast-moving storm system” will “linger into the forthcoming weekend” and may bring thunderstorms and flash floods.
According to outage tracker PowerOutage.us, the system has already resulted in floods in the western states of Washington and Oregon, where more than 80,000 people were without power as of Wednesday morning.
According to officials, Olympia, the capital of Washington state, experienced a record-breaking high tide of 18.4 feet (5.6 meters), which allowed aquatic life to enter the streets of the city.
As moist air moves eastward, heavy snow is also expected in the higher areas of the Sierra Nevada, Cascades, and Rockies, according to the Weather Prediction Center.
According to public utility company Hydro-Québec, some Canadians are still experiencing power outages as a result of the storm, including roughly 19,000 consumers in the province of Quebec.
According to power company Hydro One, there were still over 10,000 consumers without electricity in Ontario.