Buffalo, NY (WBEN) Some somber news from Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz as he announces seven confirmed deaths as a result of the historic pre-Christmas blizzard.
Poloncarz says it's unclear how they were found. "I do know that some were found in cars and some were found actually on the street in snowbanks," says Poloncarz. He says there may be more because there are people who've been stuck in cars for more than two days, and there are people in homes with temperatures below freezing.
Poloncarz says there's another concern with the storm: bursting water pipes. He recommends you keep your water on. "Make sure there's a flow in all of your faucets so you can have water go through so it helps prevent your pipes from freezing," suggests Poloncarz.
The county executive says some without power may not get it back until Monday. That's because the outages are caused by more than just downed wires. "Part of the problem and why there's so many significant outages and they haven't been able to change and address that is that there are substations that are snowed in and frozen," says Poloncarz. He says the problem is there are substations that are inoperable that need major repair.
Poloncarz says a driving ban remains in effect in Erie County. He's urging drivers to resist the temptation to drive even as the sun peaked out Sunday morning. "I talked to Supervisor Joe Emminger, of the Town of Tonawanda. And Supervisor Brian Kulpa of the town of Amherst this morning, and there are significant portions of the towns of Tonawanda and amorous which are impassable," explains Poloncarz.
