A blizzard that paralyzed western New York over the Christmas weekend has killed more than two dozen people, local officials said Monday, as crews struggled to dig out the snow-bound region around Buffalo from its fiercest winter storm in decades.
With snow continuing to fall on top of more than 4 feet (1.2 meters) dumped on Buffalo since the blizzard took shape on Friday, New York's second-largest city stood as ground zero for a storm the governor called an "epic, once-in-a-lifetime" weather disaster.
The toll of confirmed storm-related deaths climbed to 27 in Buffalo and the rest of Erie County on Monday, up from 13 the night before. The fatalities included cases of people found in snow banks and in cars or who had died from cardiac events while plowing or blowing snow, county executive Mark Poloncarz said.