At least 27 dead in Buffalo from "once in a generation" winter storm

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- Western New York is bracing for even more snow after a devastating winter storm over the weekend killed at least 27 people in the Buffalo area. 

New York remains under a state of emergency and there is still a travel ban in the Buffalo area, where highways were shut down for the 4th straight day Monday. 

There have been more than 500 rescues throughout the region since Friday. Gov. Kathy Hochul has warned it is too dangerous to drive, but thousands are without heat or electricity. 

Parts of the state are buried in 4 feet of snow after the record-breaking storm with winds reaching nearly 80 mph. 

"Total whiteout. I've never seen it going for days and days of wind and snow," said Lynda Kaczynski, who lives in Cheektowaga. 

Hundreds of cars are submerged in snow along the roads. Three of the 27 confirmed weather-related deaths so far were people trapped in their cars. Police are still doing search and recovery. 

"Some of our police officers have snow mobiles and skid steers and other equipment that they brought in on their own and they just went out and they started working through some of these," said Buffalo Police Commissioner Joseph Gramaglia. 

Buffalo's mayor called it a "once in a generation" storm. 

At one point over the weekend, almost every firetruck in Buffalo was stranded in snowbanks. Video shows a payloader had to push a plow truck out backwards. 

"We still have scores and scores of vehicles that were abandoned when people left during the storm, where it's just in a ditch. They can't possibly get out," said Hochul. 

Officers have also made arrests for looting. 

"They're not looting foods and medicines. They're just looting items that they want. So these aren't even people in distress. These are people that are taking advantage of a natural disaster," said Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown. 

Jeff Giallella, an EMT in Queens, said he started driving up to his family in Buffalo early on Friday, but had to crash with a friend along the way. 

"It was like a whole three-day process of me getting home for Christmas," said Giallella, who finished the journey Monday morning. "The smaller side streets still had a lot of snow and we had to loop around the block because certain streets had a lot more snow than other." 

Giallella's family has power, but about 10,000 residents do not. 

"My girlfriend ... they haven't had power since Friday," he said. "She was saying that upstairs in her bedrooms it was 37 degrees, so she was like we got to get out of here." 

State officials are urging people to stay off the roads, especially as up to a foot more of snow is expected by Tuesday morning.

"Anyone who declares victory and says it's over, it is way too early to say," said Hochul. 

President Joe Biden spoke with Hochul on the phone and offered New York the full support of the federal government. 

Monday, Nassau County sent nearly two dozen employees to Buffalo with police vehicles and emergency equipment. 

"Probably help people from their houses, help first responders get to certain places," said Nassau County OEM Commissioner Richard Corbett. 

"Our hope is that we can get three full days of work in and I think that'll make a material difference. If it's longer, we may have to send another crew up," said Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman. 

The Buffalo airport will stay closed until at least Tuesday and the New York State Thruway Authority has closed roads from the Pennsylvania border to Rochester until further notice. 

Hochul said the National Guard will help enforce the travel bans.

In:
• Buffalo
• Nassau County
• Kathy Hochul