Tragedy and Miracles: Stories of New Yorkers Facing a Deadly Winter Storm

The winter storm has already raged, but we are still feeling its effects. Many people died across the country, and New York was no exception. Residents of New York told how they and their relatives endured the storm.

Death Video

A woman from Buffalo, New York, sent a video to her family of being stuck in a car during a winter storm. This video is all that the relatives have left after the death of the girl, writes Toronto Sun.

Anndel Taylor, 22, died after getting stuck in her car while driving home from work in Buffalo during a snowstorm. Taylor is one of at least 28 dead in the storm

Taylor's sister, Tomeshia Brown, said she shared several videos of her ordeal with her sisters when she was locked in a car.

In the final footage, Taylor rolls down the window and sees a van stuck in the snow with emergency lights on.

“She said she was scared,” Brown said.

Taylor's mother, Wanda Brown-Steele, said Brown called 911 and waited for help, but "everyone who tried to get to her got stuck."

“Firemen, police, everyone is stuck,” Brown-Steel said.

Her family believes Taylor was in the car for approximately 18 hours before her body was found on December 24.

On the subject: Frost and wind turned New York houses into ice sculptures: amazing video

According to her mom, Taylor informed her siblings in a group text chat that she planned to get some sleep and then try to get to safety on foot if emergency personnel didn't arrive when she woke up. Brown-Steel asked relatives living in Buffalo to "go there" and find Taylor.

"They opened the window and saw that she was there," said Brown-Steel, who believes Taylor died of carbon monoxide poisoning.

The Taylor family organized a fundraiser for GoFundMeto help return a woman's body to her native Charlotte, North Carolina. The goal was to raise $12, but the collection has already far exceeded the goal. As of the morning of December 000, more than $28 has been raised.

"Angel in Buffalo"

The second story, fortunately, has a happier ending. A woman has been named a hero for saving the life of a disabled person who almost froze to death during a Christmas storm. Independent.

The mother of three children was called "a real angel." Sha'Kira Otry said she heard cries for help coming from outside her home around 06:30 on Christmas Eve and saw Joe White, 64, stuck in a snowdrift.

Autry said live on Facebook that her boyfriend Trent picked up Mr. White and brought him inside.

Autry then had to cut off Mr. White's socks, as they were frozen to his feet, and use a hair dryer to warm up his frozen pants.

The couple fed him and tried to heal his hands from frostbite and threw blankets over him to try and keep him warm.

Autry contacted Mr. White's sister, his only living relative, and the North Park Theatre, where he had been a caretaker since 1980.

With the streets of Buffalo paralyzed by 50 inches (1,25 m) of snow and ambulances unable to get home for more than 24 hours, Autry took to Facebook to ask for help getting White to the hospital.

A group of locals saw the viral post and came to Autry's house to clear the snow off her street. She then rode with them as they took Mr. White to the local hospital in a truck.

North Park theater director Ray Barker said the theater's entire staff is overwhelmed with gratitude for Autry.

“This woman did what I don’t think many people would do, which is to answer the call of another person in dire need, help him and take care of him. I think she knew he was in serious trouble and saved him,” Barker said.

White is being treated at the Erie County Medical Center's burn unit for fourth-degree frostbite and will have a long recovery ahead of him, he said.

“Yesterday I was talking to Joe, he is in a good mood. The nurse said it would take time to see how the treatment is progressing,” Barker said. “In the worst case, he will have to amputate his fingers, but we won’t know for some time.”

Barker said he last spoke to White on the evening of December 23 and warned him to stay inside as a winter storm moved in on the city.

As an independent but mentally ill individual, White stuck to his habits and may have tried to get to the movie theater where he worked for over 40 years, according to Barker.

He said the act of kindness attracted national and international attention.

"Buffalo's nickname is 'the city of good neighbors,'" he said. "It's a poor area, there's a high crime rate, but that just goes to show that there are good hearts everywhere."

The theater has created a page on GoFundme to commemorate Autry's selfless act и help with White's medical expenses.

Barker said the theater planned to do a special screening for Autry later: "She did something so compassionate and kind and gracious and we want to do something to support her."

Barker said White's story of survival was a rare moment of joy in a few painful days for Buffalo, which lost 28 residents in the city's longest snowstorm.

“Buffalo is the snow capital of the US, so we are used to a lot of snow, it doesn't really matter to us. But this is completely different. It's an incredible storm, strong winds, low temperatures," Barker said. We cannot leave the house because the streets have not been cleared. You feel helpless because you can't get where you want to go."

Kimberly LaRussa, founder of the Sweet Buffalo web page, called Autry "a real angel in Buffalo" in her Twitter thread.

With the world in a thread

The Alabama Hotel restaurant in the small community of Basom, New York, sheltered 115 people and 4 dogs who were stuck on their way due to a winter storm over the Christmas weekend, writes "Voice of America".

A nearby store donated groceries so the establishment could feed its guests. Residents of the settlement brought sleeping bags, blankets and mattresses, toys and diapers to the children.

Due to a severe snowstorm and freezing temperatures, many people traveling on Christmas trips were unable to reach their destination.

“When we got to Basom, New York, just an hour from the border, the wind got very strong, visibility was zero, plus the snow continued to fall, I was afraid that we would crash or freeze to death due to the cold. The car in front of us crashed into a snowdrift and could not continue moving. We are stuck in the middle of an intersection. Seeing an open bar-restaurant on the side of the road, we asked if they had a shovel with which we could clear the way. The manager invited us to go inside. We are grateful and grateful to the owner and management for offering free warm accommodation, food and drinks to all the people who needed help,” Mikko Agoncilio, who was with his wife and two children in the middle of a snow storm, describes the situation on Facebook.