Erie County sheriff on deadly winter storm: ‘This was unlike anything I’ve ever seen’

The sheriff of Erie County, New York, said the deadly winter storm that led to almost 40 deaths in Buffalo last week was “unlike anything” he has seen before. 

John Garcia told radio talk show host John Catsimatidis on his show, “The Cats Roundtable,” on WABC 770 AM that officials have progressed from the rescue phase to the recovery phase. He said authorities are doing welfare checks on people and is hoping that the community is “out of the woods” with casualties. 

“This was unlike anything I’ve ever seen. The freezing temperatures with the zero visibility, if you ventured out in your car, you’re not going anywhere,” Garcia said. 

He said the 70-mile-per-hour winds that the storm brought along with the snow caused zero visibility, which produced a “domino effect” of snowplows not being able to get on the streets safely and power lines coming down. The fallen power lines caused people to lose electricity and heating amid freezing temperatures. 

Garcia said the city can handle the snow, pointing to a storm over Thanksgiving that only caused three deaths due to cardiac issues in people shoveling their driveways. But he said the snow of the most recent storm was compounded by the wind. 

The storm, called a bomb cyclone, dropped more than 40 inches of snow in the city and brought hurricane-force winds. A bomb cyclone occurs when pressure in a storm system rapidly drops in 24 hours. 

Garcia said officials learned that they need equipment to handle not just a snowstorm but a blizzard. 

“We always have to get better, and that’s what we’re doing now,” he said. 

“It’s 2022, and losing 40 people in a storm is unacceptable,” he added. 

Garcia said officials need to make sure people understand the severity of an incoming storm before it hits next time. 

A driving ban was instituted in the area last Friday, and some blamed local officials for putting it in place just as people were heading to work and as strong winds were arriving. 

Garcia said he believes people have realized they need to take a driving ban more seriously following the storm.