Buffalo mayor calls looters amid storm "lowest of the low"

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
27 Dec 2022 12:36

Amidst a once-in-a-lifetime Arctic storm that resulted in the death of several people, Buffalo, New York faces several incidents of looting.

Hoak's restaurant is covered in ice from the spray of Lake Erie waves during a winter storm that hit Buffalo, New York (Reuters)

Buffalo Police Commissioner Joseph Gramaglia announced, on Monday, that several people have been detained after being discovered robbing shops in the city of Buffalo, New York during the severe winter storm that has been sweeping the country.

Gramaglia told WIVB that "Our officers have responded to several reports. We have made a few arrests, and we have intervened in some of those. We have assisted at least one location that I am aware of in getting a store boarded up."

Many stores across the city have been closed since Friday due to the heavy storm that hit the state, WIVB reported. However, this has not stopped people from looting.

🚨#BREAKING: Heavy gunfire heard as looters flee from business

📌#Buffalo l #NY

Currently Multiple Looting is occurring throughout the city following a major blizzard that took place as Footage shows someone firing several rounds as looters run from a building. Injuries unknown pic.twitter.com/GTWfkMqSeB
— R A W S A L E R T S (@rawsalerts) December 26, 2022

According to Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown, "People who are out looting when people are losing their lives in this harsh winter storm is just absolutely reprehensible," adding that these people were "the lowest of the low" since they merely took advantage of a disaster that left many others suffering.

Unprecedented storm in US leaves 50 dead, 380,000 homes without power

The National Weather Service has reported that 60% of the US population has already faced a warning or advisory regarding the weather due to the brutal storm that will be ongoing for some days.

The storm has left at least 50 people dead and around 380,000 homes and businesses powerless.

The storm, according to the NWS, is unprecedented in its scope, its effects ranging from the Great Lakes next to Canada to the Rio Grande River in Mexico.

Temperatures have drastically plummeted from Rocky Mountains' east to the Appalachians after the cyclone. Weathermen contend that this developed near the Great Lakes, causing blizzard conditions, including heavy winds and snow.

“The life-threatening cold temperatures and dangerous wind chills will create a potentially life-threatening hazard for travelers that become stranded,” the NWS said.

Deaths that have been attributed to the weather conditions have been registered in Colorado, Kansas, Kentucky, Missouri, Michigan, Nebraska, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Vermont and Wisconsin.

On Saturday, Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz told reporters that the blizzard is expected to continue until at least Sunday morning.