Connect with us

Foreign News

Blizzard Claims 12 Lives in Buffalo, New York

Published

on

Share

A deadly blizzard paralysed Buffalo, New York, on Christmas Day, trapping motorists in their cars, knocking out electricity to thousands of homes, and raising the death toll from a severe winter storm system that has chilled much of the United States for days.

At least 30 people have died in U.

S. weather-related incidents, according to an NBC News tally, since a deep freeze gripped most of the nation, coupled with snow, ice, and howling winds from a storm that roared out of the Great Lakes region late last week.

Much of the loss of life has centered in and around Buffalo at the edge of Lake Erie in western New York, as numbing cold and heavy “lake-effect” snow — the result of frigid air moving over warmer lake waters — persisted through the holiday weekend.

Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz said the storm’s confirmed death toll climbed to 12 on Sunday, up from three reported overnight in the Buffalo region.

The latest victims included some found in cars and some in snow banks, Poloncarz said, adding that the death tally might rise further.

Amid a ban imposed on driving since Friday, hundreds of Erie County motorists were stranded in their vehicles over the weekend, with National Guard troops called in to help with rescues complicated by white-out conditions and drifting snow, Poloncarz said.

“This is not the Christmas any of us hoped for nor expected,” Poloncarz said on Twitter on Sunday.

“My deepest condolences to the families who have lost loved ones.”

The Buffalo police department posted an online plea for the public assistance in search-and-recovery efforts, asking those who “have a snow mobile and are willing to help” to call a special hotline for instructions.

The severity of the storm was notable even for a region well accustomed to harsh winter weather.

Christina Klaffka, a 39-year-old North Buffalo resident, watched the shingles blow off her neighbor’s home and listened to her windows rattle from “hurricane-like winds.”

She lost power along with her whole neighborhood on Saturday evening, and was still without electricity on Sunday morning.

“My TV kept flickering while I was trying to watch the Buffalo Bills and Chicago Bears game.

“I lost power shortly after the 3rd quarter,” she said.

John Burns, 58, a retiree in North Buffalo, said he and his family were trapped in their house for 36 hours by the storm and extreme cold that he called “mean and nasty.”

“Nobody was out. Nobody was even walking their dogs,” he said. “Nothing was going on for two days.”

Snowfall totals were hard to gauge, he added, because of fierce winds that reduced accumulation between houses, but piled up a 5-foot drift “in front of my garage.”

New York Governor Kathy Hochul told reporters on Sunday that the Biden administration had agreed to support her request for a federal disaster declaration.

Some 200 National Guard troops were mobilised in western New York, providing relief to police and fire crews, conducting wellness checks and bringing supplies to shelters, Hochul said.

The storm was moving east on Sunday, after knocking out power to as many as 1.5 million customers at the height of outages late last week and forcing thousands of commercial flight cancellations during the busy holiday travel period.

More than 150,000 U.S. homes and businesses were without power on Sunday, down sharply from the 1.8 million without power as of early Saturday, according to PowerOutage.us. In Buffalo, 16% of residents had no electricity on Sunday, officials said.

In Canada, electricity was also out to at least 140,000 utility customers, mostly in the provinces of Ontario and Quebec, hard hit by the same weather system that buried western New York in snow.

More than 1,700 flights in the United States were canceled as of midday Sunday, according to flight tracker FlightAware.

Christmas Day temperatures, while beginning to rebound from near-zero readings that were widespread on Saturday, remained well below average across the central and eastern United States, and below freezing even as far south as the Gulf Coast, National Weather Service (NWS) meteorologist Rich Otto said.

The Buffalo airport had recorded nearly 4 feet of snow by Sunday, the Weather Service said. White-out conditions persisted south of Buffalo on Sunday afternoon, with snow falling at the rate of 2-3 inches an hour.

In Kentucky, officials confirmed three storm-related deaths since Friday, while at least four people were dead and several injured in auto-related accidents in Ohio, where a 50-vehicle pileup shut down the Ohio Turnpike in both directions during a blizzard on Friday.

Other deaths related to the extreme cold or weather-induced vehicle accidents were reported in Missouri, Tennessee, Kansas and Colorado, according to news reports.

A Christmas Eve bus crash that police said was likely due to icy road conditions near Loon Lake in Canada’s British Columbia killed four people and left dozens hospitalised, authorities confirmed on Sunday. (Reuters/NAN)

Continue Reading
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Foreign News

CAF Sanctions Kenya Again over Crowd Trouble

Published

on

Share

The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has sanctioned African Nations Championship (CHAN) co-host, Kenya, for the second time in as many weeks over security breaches.

In a statement made available on Monday evening, the continental governing body said that it has limited entry to the 48,000-seat Moi International Sports Centre.

It also said that, known as Kasarani Stadium, can accommodate 27,000 fans for Sunday’s Group A match between Kenya and Zambia.

CAF said only electronic ticket holders would be allowed into the stadium, with thermal tickets prohibited.

The governing body warned that Kenya’s matches could be relocated from Kasarani Stadium if organisers fail to prevent further breaches.

“We trust these measures will be applied swiftly to protect competition’s integrity, ensure fan safety, and uphold confidence in Kenya’s commitment to the tournament,” CAF said.

The sanctions follow incidents on Aug. 10 when Kenya defeated two-time winner Morocco 1-0 in spite of playing the entire second half with 10 men.

The win put Kenya top of Group A with seven points.

The debutants would reach the quarterfinals with at least a draw against winless Zambia.

Last week, Kenya’s football federation was fined nearly 20,000 U.S. dollars for security lapses during the team’s 1-0 win over DR Congo in the tournament opener on Aug. 3.

In the latest case, CAF cited major lapses, including stadium gates and restricted service areas being overrun by ticketless spectators and holders of government-distributed physical tickets.

It also accused security personnel of losing control at exit points and allowing breaches of the perimeter fence that enabled thousands of ticketless fans to enter.

CAF had expressed alarm over the use of tear gas and flash grenades, reports of live ammunition fired near spectators and staff, and violent incidents such as stone-throwing at security personnel.

It also cited unsafe vehicle movement in spectator areas, inadequate police response, and the lack of medical incident reports in spite of injuries being reported.

Organisers were further criticised for insufficient communication tools and the absence of CCTV coverage at critical entry points.

Continue Reading

Foreign News

Madonna Urges Pope Leo to Visit Gaza

Published

on

Share

Pop icon Madonna has made an appeal to Pope Leo XIV, urging him to visit the blockaded Gaza Strip amid a starvation crisis that has sparked international outrage.

“You are the only one of us that cannot be denied entry,” the U.S. singer wrote on social media platform X late on Monday.

“We need the humanitarian gates to be fully opened to save these innocent children.

“There is no more time,” she added.

Marking the 25th birthday of her son Rocco Ritchie on Monday, Madonna also announced plans to donate to humanitarian organisations working in Gaza.

“I feel the best gift I can give to him as a Mother is to ask everyone to do what they can to help save the innocent children caught in the crossfire in Gaza,” she wrote.

A United Nations (UN) agency said late last week that “acute malnutrition among children in Gaza has reached the highest levels.”

In July alone, nearly 12,000 children lower than five in age were identified as acutely malnourished, with another 2,500 found to suffer from severe acute malnutrition.

According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), this is the most life-threatening form.

Israel controls access roads to Gaza and has sealed off the coastal area.

Very little aid got into Gaza from March through May, when Israel began allowing in deliveries using a controversial private system that bypasses traditional UN agencies.

Under pressure from allies, Israel recently began permitting larger convoys into the territory, as aid airdrops take place overhead.

On Sunday, Irish rock band U2 issued a stinging critique of the Israeli government’s actions.

“We know Hamas are using starvation as a weapon in the war, but now so too is Israel and I feel revulsion for the moral failure,” frontman Bono wrote.

Continue Reading

Foreign News

Putin Bans Foreign-made Clothing for Russian Army From 2026

Published

on

Share

Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree on Monday banning the procurement of foreign-made clothing and related gear for the country’s armed forces starting in 2026.

According to the decree, from Jan. 1, 2026, all uniforms and other clothing items for the Russian Armed Forces must be produced by Russian companies whose manufacturing facilities are located within the country.

By 2027, the requirement would extend to fabrics and knitted materials used in production, which must be domestically manufactured.

The measure aims to entirely exclude the purchase of foreign-made clothing and materials for the needs of the military, the decree said.

Military clothing and gear include uniforms, insignia, underwear, bedding, special clothing, footwear, equipment, and sanitary items.

Such supplies are procured through the Russian state defence order system.

Continue Reading

Advertisement

Read Our ePaper

Top Stories

NEWS2 hours ago

‎FG Imposes 7-year Ban on New Federal Tertiary Institutions 

ShareThe Federal Executive Council (FEC) has approved a seven-year moratorium on the establishment of new federal tertiary institutions. ‎Dr Tunji...

Foreign News5 hours ago

CAF Sanctions Kenya Again over Crowd Trouble

ShareThe Confederation of African Football (CAF) has sanctioned African Nations Championship (CHAN) co-host, Kenya, for the second time in as...

Education6 hours ago

Varsity Don Advocates Establishment of National Bureau for Ethnic Relations, Inter-Group Unity

ShareBy David Torough, Abuja A university scholar, Prof. Uji Wilfred of the Department of History and International Studies, Federal University...

Foreign News6 hours ago

Madonna Urges Pope Leo to Visit Gaza

SharePop icon Madonna has made an appeal to Pope Leo XIV, urging him to visit the blockaded Gaza Strip amid...

Foreign News6 hours ago

Putin Bans Foreign-made Clothing for Russian Army From 2026

ShareRussian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree on Monday banning the procurement of foreign-made clothing and related gear for the...

NEWS6 hours ago

Tinubu Initiates First National Industrial Manpower Devt Policy

SharePresident Bola Tinubu on Tuesday announced plans for Nigeria’s first-ever National Industrial Manpower Development Policy. Tinubu, represented by the Vice-President...

Foreign News6 hours ago

Australia PM Says Israel’s Netanyahu ‘In denial’ about Gaza War

ShareAustralia’s prime minister has accused his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu of being “in denial” over the consequences of the war...

SPORTS6 hours ago

Tottenham Interested in Crystal Palace’s Eze

ShareTottenham FC are exploring a deal for Crystal Palace and England forward Eberechi Eze. Thomas Frank is looking to bolster...

SPORTS6 hours ago

Liverpool Stepping up bid to Sign Palace’s Guehi

ShareLiverpool are stepping up their attempts to sign Crystal Palace and England center-back Marc Guehi. Palace captain Guehi has a...

BUSINESS6 hours ago

Power Outage Killing Our Businesses, Enugu Residents Cry Out

ShareResidents of Ologo, Coal Camp and Uwani areas of Enugu metropolis have decried persistent power outage in the area spanning...

Copyright © 2021 Daily Asset Limited | Powered by ObajeSoft Inc