Storm of death hits United States
26 December 2022 By Kareem Abiodun Giwa
50 people confirmed dead across the United States, more than 20 in Western New York alone, from a winter storm that descended on the country a few days before Christmas, according to a Fox News report on Monday. Death came from excessive and endless snowfall and the resultant frigid cold. And snowing is yet to stop in the Buffalo area of the Big Apple.
Unconfirmed reports put the number of casualties at Western NY to be 27, but Mark Polocarz, an executive at Erie County, confirmed 25 deaths. One driver reportedly froze to death in his car. Fox News reports says Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown said police had recovered 18 bodies in the city. "This has been a very difficult and dangerous storm," Brown said. Some of those fatalities were the result of people freezing to death while stranded in their cars.
Those who have died would have prepared for the Christmas celebration like everyone else. How would they have known a storm would envelop them around Christmas and the incident would end their lives?
The reason, some say, is that people should not leave anything to chance in seeking safety in times of uncertainty. But would people have chosen to remain in their homes and not go to work or do some necessary errands?
These people were not ill. All they did was be out there like everyone else. So should one relate this type of death to fortune or misfortune? Those who survived the storm were fortunate, and those who lost their lives were unfortunate.
Several households are mourning and not celebrating. Plans for welcoming a new year in a storm. Human life! And not an end to unexplainable occurrences between now and the new year. How can it be explained that people who have looked forward to Christmas and the new year are no longer here?
The sage has said some matters are beyond human comprehension, as this type of experience knows no tribe, color, or religion. Consequently, people have resigned to fate. What should we do when we have no power or control? The worst part of the news is that Gov. Kathy Hochul said at a news conference that when it comes to the storm, there is more to come, reports say. "As much as we can see in the sky, we know the storm is coming back," Hochul said, adding a forecast for "another six to 12 inches" of snow. The governor said that while the worst may be over, it is "way too early" to say that storm itself is a thing of the past.
This is not hurricane, another monstrous killer. And it is not Tornado. It is just a storm of cold, frigid cold, accompanied in some areas like Buffalo, by seemingly endless snowfall.
Unconfirmed reports put the number of casualties at Western NY to be 27, but Mark Polocarz, an executive at Erie County, confirmed 25 deaths. One driver reportedly froze to death in his car. Fox News reports says Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown said police had recovered 18 bodies in the city. "This has been a very difficult and dangerous storm," Brown said. Some of those fatalities were the result of people freezing to death while stranded in their cars.
Those who have died would have prepared for the Christmas celebration like everyone else. How would they have known a storm would envelop them around Christmas and the incident would end their lives?
The reason, some say, is that people should not leave anything to chance in seeking safety in times of uncertainty. But would people have chosen to remain in their homes and not go to work or do some necessary errands?
These people were not ill. All they did was be out there like everyone else. So should one relate this type of death to fortune or misfortune? Those who survived the storm were fortunate, and those who lost their lives were unfortunate.
Several households are mourning and not celebrating. Plans for welcoming a new year in a storm. Human life! And not an end to unexplainable occurrences between now and the new year. How can it be explained that people who have looked forward to Christmas and the new year are no longer here?
The sage has said some matters are beyond human comprehension, as this type of experience knows no tribe, color, or religion. Consequently, people have resigned to fate. What should we do when we have no power or control? The worst part of the news is that Gov. Kathy Hochul said at a news conference that when it comes to the storm, there is more to come, reports say. "As much as we can see in the sky, we know the storm is coming back," Hochul said, adding a forecast for "another six to 12 inches" of snow. The governor said that while the worst may be over, it is "way too early" to say that storm itself is a thing of the past.
This is not hurricane, another monstrous killer. And it is not Tornado. It is just a storm of cold, frigid cold, accompanied in some areas like Buffalo, by seemingly endless snowfall.
