BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) — The National Guard went door to door in parts of Buffalo on Wednesday to check on people who lost power during the area’s deadliest winter storm in decades, and authorities faced the tragic possibility of finding more victims amid melting snow.
Already, more than three dozen deaths have been reported in western New York from the blizzard that raged Friday and Saturday across much of the country, with Buffalo in its crosshairs.
With the death toll already surpassing that of the area’s notorious Blizzard of 1977, local officials faced questions about the response to last week’s storm. They insisted that they had prepared but that the weather was extraordinary even for a region prone to powerful winter storms.
Temperatures rose above 40 degrees (about 4 degrees Celsius) in Buffalo on Wednesday and are expected to top 50 degrees (10 degrees Celsius) on Friday with a chance for showers, according to the National Weather Service.
“The city did everything that it could under historic blizzard conditions,” Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown, a Democrat, said at a news conference.
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National guard members check on residents, Wednesday, Dec. 28, 2022, in Buffalo N.Y., following a winter storm. (AP Photo/Jeffrey T. Barnes) Vehicles drive down Jefferson Avenue in Buffalo. N.Y., on Wednesday, Dec. 28, 2022. Clean-up efforts remain underway after a blizzard hit four Western New York counties. (Joseph Cooke//The Buffalo News via AP) Mike Gippon plows snow in the driveway outside his home in Buffalo, N.Y.’s Elmwood Village on Monday, Dec. 26, 2022. Clean up is currently under way after a blizzard hit four Western New York counties. (Joseph Cooke/The Buffalo News via AP) LACKAWANNA, NY – DECEMBER 27: A gas station canopy lays on its side after high winds and heavy snow along Lake Shore Boulevard on December 27, 2022 in Lackawanna, New York. The historic winter storm Elliott dumped up to four feet of snow on the area leaving thousands without power and at least 28 confirmed dead in the city of Buffalo and the surrounding suburbs. (Photo by John Normile/Getty Images) Mynishia Holley, center, leaves Tops Friendly Market on Jefferson Avenue after buying groceries in Buffalo, N.Y., on Wednesday, Dec. 28, 2022. Clean-up efforts remain after a blizzard hit four Western New York counties. (Joseph Cooke/The Buffalo News via AP) Angelo Milioto, 13, shovels snow away from around his home in Buffalo, N.Y., on Tuesday, Dec. 27, 2022. Clean up is currently under way after a blizzard hit four Western New York counties. (Joseph Cooke/The Buffalo News via AP) HAMBURG, NY – DECEMBER 27: Jack Stanton checks his ice covered home after being battered with waves from Lake Erie along Hoover Beach on December 27, 2022 in Hamburg, New York. The historic winter storm Elliott dumped up to four feet of snow, leaving thousands without power and at least 28 confirmed dead in the city of Buffalo and the surrounding suburbs. (Photo by John Normile/Getty Images) *** BESTPIX *** Jamillette Gallego and Angel Ramo carry supplies down Grant Street in Buffalo, N.Y., after making a trip to the store to restock on Monday, Dec. 26, 2022. (Derek Gee/The Buffalo News via AP) BUFFALO, NY – DECEMBER 26: A man attempts to clear his roof of snow on December 26, 2022 in Buffalo, New York. The historic winter storm Elliott dumped up to four feet of snow on the area leaving thousands without power and twenty five confirmed dead in the city of Buffalo. (Photo by John Normile/Getty Images) BUFFALO, NY – DECEMBER 26: Jon Jindra walks his dog Walt on December 26, 2022 in Buffalo, New York. The historic winter storm Elliott dumped up to four feet of snow on the area leaving thousands without power and twenty five confirmed dead in the city of Buffalo. (Photo by John Normile/Getty Images) BUFFALO, NY – DECEMBER 27: Good Samaritans help to push out a car along South Park Avenue on December 27, 2022 in Buffalo, New York. The historic winter storm Elliott dumped up to four feet of snow, leaving thousands without power and at least 28 confirmed dead in the city of Buffalo and the surrounding suburbs. (Photo by John Normile/Getty Images) A front end loader dump snow into a dump truck as crews clear large amounts of snow, Wednesday, Dec. 28, 2022, in Buffalo N.Y., days after a winter storm passed through. (AP Photo/Jeffrey T. Barnes) Snow blankets the city in this aerial drone photograph in Buffalo, New York, on December 25, 2022. – US emergency crews counted the grim costs of a colossal winter storm that brought Christmas chaos to millions, especially in hard-hit western New York, where the death toll reached 25 Monday in what authorities described as a “war with mother nature.” (Photo by Joed Viera / AFP) (Photo by JOED VIERA/AFP via Getty Images) ***BESTPIX*** National guard members check on residents, Wednesday, Dec. 28, 2022, in Buffalo N.Y., following a winter storm. The National Guard went door to door in parts of Buffalo on Wednesday to check on people who lost power during the area’s deadliest winter storm in decades, and authorities faced the tragic possibility of finding more victims amid melting snow. (AP Photo/Jeffrey T. Barnes) HAMBURG, NY – DECEMBER 26: Paul Daruszka clears his driveway on December 26, 2022 in Hamburg, New York. The historic winter storm Elliott dumped up to four feet of snow on the area leaving thousands without power and at least twenty five confirmed dead in the city of Buffalo. (Photo by John Normile/Getty Images) Jonathon Jolibois, Evan Hughes and Emily Quartley run through snow in a Walgreens parking lot in Buffalo, N.Y., on Monday, Dec. 26, 2022. Jolibois drove from Lexington, Ky., to Buffalo during the blizzard to visit his friend, Hughes. (Joseph Cooke/The Buffalo News via AP) Christian Parker of Buffalo, N.Y., shovels out his car in the Elmwood Village neighborhood of Buffalo, N.Y. Monday, Dec. 26, 2022, after a massive snow storm blanketed the city. Along with drifts and travel bans, many streets were impassible due to abandoned vehicles. (AP Photo/Craig Ruttle) Daniel Shafer of Buffalo, N.Y., walks along a path in the street in the Elmwood Village neighborhood of Buffalo, Monday, Dec. 26, 2022, after a massive snow storm blanketed the city. Along with drifts and travel bans, many streets were impassible due to abandoned vehicles. (AP Photo/Craig Ruttle)
