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Cleanup crews and residents of the city of Buffalo, upstate New York, struggled to make their way through mountains of snow Tuesday as it continued to fall and rising temperatures and rain that could turn ice were forecast in mud.
State authorities dispatched military and state police to keep people off the streets of Buffalo, clogged by the worst storm to hit the region in at least two generations.
Amid some signs of progress, with suburban roads reopening and emergency service restored, Erie County Administrator Mark Poloncarz warned that police would be at entry points into Buffalo and at major intersections. in order to ensure the prohibition of driving in the city.
“There are too many people who are violating the ban,” Poloncarz declared at a press conference.
Authorities said more than 30 people have died in the region. The death toll exceeds that of the historic 1977 blizzard, which killed at least 29 people in a region known for harsh winter weather.
The National Weather Service forecast up to 2 more inches of snow Tuesday for Erie County, which includes Buffalo and its 275,000 residents.
In two storms this winter, Buffalo, New York, has already received the total snowfall that averages for the area in one season.
However, the situation is expected to change completely with a rise in temperatures this weekend to well above freezing, and rain that could trigger flooding.
The rest of the United States was still shaken by the storm and at least 24 other deaths were reported in other parts of the country. Several communities, from Maine to Washington state, were still without power.
On the Rosebud Sioux tribal reservation in South Dakota, officials have announced plans to use snow tractors to reach residents after dropping boxes of food from helicopters and trucks over the weekend.
In Buffalo, the dead were found in their cars, homes or snowbanks. Some died while clearing snow, others because rescue teams could not arrive in time to attend to medical crises.
With information from Reuters and The Associated Press
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