Officials extend Buffalo driving ban, will enforce with NY troopers, military police

Local officials are extending a driving ban in Buffalo as more snow falls in hard-hit western New York, where more than two dozen people have died in the winter storm.

Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz said Tuesday that Buffalo’s driving ban will remain in effect while a driving advisory is active for the rest of the county.

To enforce the ban and assist with traffic control, around 100 military police, along with state troopers, will be stationed in Buffalo, Poloncarz added.

“DO NOT try to drive in or into the City of Buffalo. The driving ban remains,” the county executive tweeted.

More than 40 inches of snow fell on western New York over the Christmas weekend, coinciding with freezing temperatures and hurricane-force winds from a devastating low-pressure storm.

While the storm has killed more than 50 people from the central U.S. to the East Coast, western New York accounts for more than half of the death toll. At least 30 deaths have been attributed to the storm in the area.

Erie County alone has confirmed 28 storm-related fatalities as of Tuesday afternoon. Many victims have been found outside in the frigid cold or trapped in their cars.

President Biden on Monday declared a federal emergency declaration for New York as snow continues to fall over the state this week.

Many roads are already impassable for many residents in Buffalo because of the amount of heavy snow pileups.

Snowfall is expected to ease and temperatures will warm in the next few days, according to a National Weather Service advisory.