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30-12-2022
OTTAWA: Chunks of ice and snow-capped rocks could be seen at the base of the Niagara Falls after a huge winter storm swept over the US and Canada.
Plunging temperatures over the Christmas period transformed the waterfalls into a wintry sight to behold.
The blizzard caused huge disruption across North America, and left 34 people dead in New York State.
Many of the deaths were in the city of Buffalo, just south of the falls.
The storm brought over 4ft (1.2m) of snow to the city, causing major traffic problems and leaving many households without power.
Slightly warmer weather is now on the way.
Cascades of water could still be seen thundering down the falls, situated on the US-Canada border, in spite of the frozen areas.
In 2015, a Canadian ice climber stunned visitors by scaling a frozen section of the gorge.
A Canadian ice climber has stunned visitors to Niagara Falls by climbing up a frozen section of the famous gorge.
Will Gadd, 47, climbed next to the Horseshoe Falls, on the US side of the border.
Meanwhile, a powerful winter storm that slammed North America has claimed more lives in the US state of New York, local officials say.
At least 34 people have died in Erie County, which includes the city of Buffalo, county executive Mark Poloncarz said on Wednesday.
Authorities are still trying to identify three of the victims.
The storm that swept across the US over the holiday weekend has killed at least 60 people in eight states.
There have now been more fatalities in Erie County in the last few days than during the infamous Buffalo blizzard of 1977. Twenty-nine people died in that storm, according to the National Weather Service.
“It’s a horrible storm with too many deaths,” Poloncarz said during a press conference on Wednesday morning but conditions in some of the hardest-hit regions in the US including New York are starting to improve.
In Erie County, fewer than 1,000 households are now without power, and 95% of residents should have power restored by the end of the day, Poloncarz said.
The city of Buffalo which got more than four feet (1.2m) of snow has made progress clearing roads, county officials said. At least 65% of city streets have at least one lane available for passage, though a driving ban remains in effect due to dangerous conditions, Poloncarz said.
The local Buffalo Niagara International Airport reopened at 11:00 local time (16:00 GMT) after closing last Friday, though nearly all scheduled departing flights for the day were cancelled or delayed, according to the airport’s website.
Buffalo’s rail service is running again on a limited schedule.
The US National Guard is going door-to-door in neighborhoods in the county that lost power to conduct wellness checks as officials are “fearful” that some living alone may have perished during the storm, Poloncarz said.
With temperatures rising and snow beginning to melt, the county is now preparing for the possibility of flooding, the county executive said.
Elsewhere in the US and Canada, residents are still dealing with the effects of the deadly winter storm as well as new dangerous weather systems, which have caused several fatalities. (Int’l Monitoring Desk)
