Dying in the car: the storm in the United States left dozens of people trapped who could not be rescued

Anndel Taylor, a 22-year-old nursing assistant, was traveling from work to her home in Buffalo, New York, on Friday afternoon when she was hit by the “worst storm in a generation,” as authorities called it. Shaken by horrendous gusts of wind and heavy snow that took away all vision, his car got stuckbasically buried in white dust, one day before Christmas Eve.

According to his family, young she was locked in her vehicle for more than 18 hours before rescue services found her dead.

During her ordeal, Anndel sent her sisters a series of harrowing videos: the last one was at midnight, when she rolled down a collapsed window of ice to reveal another trapped truck with its hazard lights on. They failed to save her.

The case of Anndel is that of one of dozens of people who died locked in their vehicles in the middle of the freezing storm Elliot, unable to get out, waiting for help. The phenomenon that has affected almost all of the United States, from Florida to the border with Canada, has caused more than 60 deaths and has left desperate stories of frustrated rescues on the streets.

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“He called 911 and waited,” Anndel’s mother told local television. But “everyone who tried to get there got stuck”, added. “The firefighters, the police, they were all stranded,” he said, wondering why the “notorious snow state” didn’t have emergency vehicles capable of operating during the monster storm.

The young woman’s mother believes her daughter probably died of carbon monoxide poisoning. “The car was running and the snow kept falling, so the exhaust pipe may have been blocked,” she said.

New York State Governor Kathy Hochul, a Buffalo native, described the storm as “storm of the century”.

“It’s like going to a war zone, and the number of vehicles lining the highways and roads is staggering,” he said, admitting that many emergency vehicles were unable to reach the hardest-hit areas or were trapped in the most affected areas. snow. .

New York state officials said emergency personnel he went from car to car looking for survivors of the storm and the bodies found.

This was stated by Natalie Simpson, a professor in the Department of Trading and Strategy at the University of Buffalo clarion that on this occasion two phenomena were combined: the violent storm in a densely populated area at a time of intense travelas it is the end of the year.

Some travelers have been more fortunate. A Buffalo family with young children, ages two to six, she had to wait 11 hours before being rescued in the early hours of Sunday, Christmas day.

“I was basically desperate,” the father, Zila Santiago, told CBS News, who managed to keep warm by running the engine and kept the anguish at bay by playing with the children.

Risk your life

Ditjak Ilunga of Gaithersburg, Maryland, told CBS News he was visiting relatives in Hamilton, Ontario, with his daughters. when his truck got stuck in Buffalo.

After spending hours with the engine running, he made the desperate decision to do it risk getting out of the carin the midst of the storm, to reach a nearby refuge.

He carried six-year-old Destiny on his back while 16-year-old Cindy grabbed her little dog and followed its tracks in the snow. “If I stay in this car I will die here with my children”Ilunga recalled. She said she cried as the family walked through the doors of the shelter. “It’s something I will never forget in my life,” she said.

About half of more than 50 deaths from this storm occurred in northeastern New York statewhere Buffalo is located. The death toll in that state is 27, 18 of them in Buffalo, although authorities expect to find more deaths in the next few hours. The bodies were found in cars, but were also found in houses and on the street.

Some have died of cardiac arrest while trying to shovel snow.

Mayor Byron Brown defended the city’s response Tuesday, saying officials had warned the public not to drive after Thursday.

“We are not blaming the people who were driving. Our goal was to save everyoneanswer every emergency call,” he said. he said.

This city, on the Canadian border and near Niagara Falls, is used to snow. But there hadn’t been such a harsh winter there for decades. It is still covered in snow and hundreds of National Guard, police and firefighters have been deployed in the area.

Governor Hochul has called on the federal government to declare the Northwest a disaster area, and President Joe Biden has responded to that request, which allows for the rapid release of aid and funds.

Storm Elliot has caused more than 200 million Americans, about 60% of the populationwas facing some sort of winter weather alert or warning for several days.

Temperatures dropped dramatically below normal from the Rockies east to the Appalachians. In some places it reached 30 below zero and even in always hot Florida, which usually escapes this type of phenomena, the thermometer has dropped to 10 degrees.

After nearly a week of severe cold, temperatures began to moderate on Tuesday. However, there is another warning of possible snow in Buffalo.

The storm also greatly disrupted air traffic with around 5,000 flights suspended in the middle of the Christmas holidays. This Tuesday some routes started to resume but there were still nearly 3,000 canceled, mostly by SouthWest airline, which has canceled 60% of its flights in the next few days. The chaos of people sleeping on the floor in an attempt to reschedule the ticket continued in the terminals.

Forecasts predict an improvement in the coming days, but relief efforts continue in the hardest hit places.

Tips for surviving in the car

Natalie Simpson, a professor in the University at Buffalo’s Department of Operations and Strategy, explained clarion what to do when a person is trapped in their car in the middle of a storm.

“Think of a three-part survival strategy: STAY PROTECTED AND CONSERVE RESOURCES – Stay visible and prevent carbon monoxide poisoning.

The first part, “stay in cover,” means “stay with your vehicle” unless you can clearly see a better shelter nearby and a trail connecting you to that better shelter. Since you keep your own vehicle, the resources you need to conserve are fuel and your phone’s battery power. To save fuel, consider running the engine intermittently, especially during the day when temperatures are higher.

“Being Discoverable” begins with immediately using your phone or on-board system to determine your GPS coordinates and write them down somewhere if possible. Then use your phone to call the local emergency number and provide your location, including coordinates.

Start plowing the snow so you can always open at least one door to get out of the vehicle e also remove snow from the vehicle’s exhaust pipe. This brings us to “avoiding carbon monoxide poisoning”: if you’re running your car’s engine, it’s crucial that you don’t let your tailpipe get buried in snow.

Tragically, some people pronounced dead while stuck in their cars didn’t freeze to death, but were instead poisoned by clogged exhaust fumes as they revved the engine to stay warm.

You can also stamp and reprint a HELP message in the snow near your vehicle. Remember that you can honk your horn if you think someone is around, but avoid doing so unless the engine is running. It is important to protect your car’s battery charge.

We must also bear in mind that, like many other disasters, the best strategy for survival starts with preparation. There are several items you should have in your vehicle in case of an emergency, and I urge everyone to check with local authorities for items that are considered essential in your area.

To help you survive when you’re stuck in the snow, consider keeping these items in your car at all times: a blanket, a small folding shovel, extra boots, a hat, gloves, and an alternative heat source like a candle, a metal can to hold the candle and a lighter or matches for the candle.

This is not a comprehensive list of everything that could come in handy in a roadside emergency, so check with your local roadside or emergency authority for detailed advice.”

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