US: Biden approves aid for New York after heavy blizzard

US President Joe Biden announced federal disaster relief for New York state on Monday after a severe winter storm which killed at least 50 people nationwide, including at least 27 people in and around the city of Buffalo, near the Canadian border.

Specifically, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has been authorized to coordinate efforts in the greater Buffalo metro area.

Biden spoke with Governor Kathy Hochul late on Monday night to offer "the full force of the federal government" to support emergency efforts in the state.

"My heart is with those who lost loved ones this holiday weekend. You are in my and Jill's prayers," Biden tweeted earlier in the day.

The National Weather Service's Weather Prediction Center expected warmer temperatures by Thursday. However, it warned of potential floods as the snow starts to melt.

A 'once-in-a-lifetime' storm

The NWS predicted as much as 2 inches (up to 5 centimeters) of snowfall in Erie County on Tuesday, affecting Buffalo and its some 275,000 residents.

Hundreds of National Guard troops were deployed to assist emergency personnel on Monday. However, roads remain littered with cars and even plows buried under snow, complicating rescue efforts.

Hochul tweeted on Tuesday that major highways across western New York were reopening, saying it was a sign "we are finally turning the corner on this once-in-a-generation storm."

The state governor still advised people to follow the local advisories.

A driving ban for all of Buffalo remained in effect on Tuesday. Erie County's Executive Mark Poloncarz told a Tuesday press briefing that "too many people" were still ignoring the ban.

"Please, please, please do not drive in the city. It's ugly right now," he said.

Hochul said the wild weather go down in history as "the Blizzard of '22.

Local officials ranked it as the worst Buffalo-area snowstorm since a 1977 blizzard that killed nearly 30 people.

Authorities probe flight chaos

Other parts of the US are also being battered by the wild winter storm, which has left as many as 60 people dead nationwide.

Snow, wind and freezing temperatures forced the cancellation of some 20,000 US flights in recent days, including nearly 4,700 on Tuesday, according to tracking site Flightaware.com.

However, late on Monday, the US Department of Transportation said it would investigate the "unacceptable" number of Southwest Airlines flights that had been cancelled or delayed to determine if they were in the airline's control.

Most of Tuesday's flight cancelations were by Southwest Airlines.

zc, rmt/ar (Reuters, AFP, AP)