Families are beginning to speak out about the more than three dozen tragic losses of loved ones – some just steps from their homes – in a historic blizzard that pummeled western New York over the weekend.
Of the 37 confirmed deaths in Erie County, 17 people were found outside, nine were in a home with no heat, four were in a vehicle, four were from cardiac events while shoveling or snow blowing and three were from a delay in emergency medical services, according to County Executive Mark Poloncarz.
Poloncarz said 29 of the deaths happened in the City of Buffalo, seven were in the suburbs and one is unknown. There are multiple unidentified bodies, he noted, and authorities are still going door to door to check on people.
At least one person also died in nearby Lockport, in Niagara County, from carbon monoxide poisoning, officials there said.
Here are some of the victims and their stories.
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Carolyn Eubanks’ home had no heat or electricity. The 63-year-old had a heart condition that required her to be hooked up to an electric oxygen machine, but she lost power during the storm, The Buffalo News reported. Emergency services were unavailable because of the blizzard, the outlet reported.
Knowing she wouldn’t survive the storm in her own home Saturday, her son Antwaine Parker and his stepbrother Kenneth Johnson drove from Cheektowaga to Eubank’s home in…
