Top Buffalo area official says he bears ‘full responsibility’ for timing of travel ban amid storm

A top Buffalo-area official said he bears “full responsibility” for the criticized timing of local authorities issuing a travel ban ahead of an intense winter storm that has killed nearly 40 people in the area as of Thursday. 

Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz tweeted on Wednesday that he does not know if instituting a ban on driving earlier would have changed anything, but it was his decision and he bears the responsibility. Local officials have received criticism for putting the ban into place on Friday morning as many were traveling to work. 

Authorities had previously urged people to stay off the streets ahead of the storm.

The National Weather Service recorded winds of more than 70 mph in the area soon after the ban was put into place. The storm brought at least 43 inches of snow and intense hurricane-force winds that caused whiteout conditions, lowering visibilities to essentially zero. New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) has said the storm was the worst to ever hit Buffalo. 

The driving ban for the city was lifted just after midnight on Thursday after being in effect for almost a week. 

Poloncarz tweeted on Thursday that the Erie County Medical Examiner’s Office had confirmed at least 39 storm-related deaths, up from just above 30 earlier. He said 17 of the deceased were found outside, 11 were in their homes, four were found in their cars, four died while shoveling or snowblowing and three died from delayed responses from emergency medical services. 

The storm killed more than 50 people overall from the central United States to the East Coast, with the most deaths coming from the Buffalo area. 

Poloncarz said 31 deaths were from the city of Buffalo itself, while seven were from surrounding areas, and one person’s location is unknown.