Winter storm deaths in New York state rise to 31
New York City, Dec 27 (EFE).- The death toll in New York from Winter Storm Elliot has risen to 31, according to Marc Poloncarz, the executive of the state’s most affected county, Erie.
“Very sadly, the @ECDOH (Erie County Department of Health) Medical Examiner has confirmed another 3 deaths from the Blizzard. Total deaths are now 31,” Poloncarz wrote in a tweet.
He added that of those, 17 people were found outside, seven died due to lack of heating, three were found in a vehicle, another three died in cardiac events and one after an emergency medical service delay.
The number of deaths already exceeds those that occurred during another storm in 1977, which claimed the lives of 29 people, local media recall.
Poloncarz also indicated that more than 7,000 workers continued efforts to restore power to Erie homes affected by blackouts caused by Elliot, which has left more than 50 dead across the country during the Christmas holidays, most of them in New York.
Some Erie county highways reopened Tuesday and the rest are expected to reopen Wednesday, according to Gov. Kathy Hochul.
The east and south of the country experienced a rise in temperatures on Tuesday as the storm abated, while another cold front reached the west coast with snow and rain, the national weather service reported.
However, despite the end of Elliot, airport chaos continued a few days out from New Year’s Eve, with more than 3,000 flights canceled Tuesday, according to the Flight Aware website, grounding thousands of passengers who had planned to travel.
The most affected are customers of airline Southwest, which is responsible for 63 percent of cancellations and whose telephone service lines are jammed. EFE
rh/tw
