New Jersey deploys emergency crews to Buffalo region to aid with winter storm recovery
BUFFALO, New York (WABC) -- Heavy equipment and nearly two dozen officials left New Jersey Monday night and headed to dig Buffalo out of this severe winter storm.
The death toll in the Buffalo region has risen to 27. Officials expect that number to increase as their rescue missions continue.
Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz described the blizzard as "the worst storm probably in our lifetime" and warned there may be more dead. Some people, he noted, were stranded in their cars for more than two days.
The aid going to Buffalo left from Wall, NJ. They're expected to stay about two weeks.
The team is made up of mostly firefighters from across the state. This is actually the team's first ever snow mission .
A crew from Nassau County took off Monday and is now in Erie County. Video footage shows them getting ready to deploy at Christopher Morely Park in the morning.
This crew is expected to be there until Friday..
All of the aid teams from our area will be joining others to help first responders, many of whom have been struggling to reach those who need help.
At one point, all fire trucks in the city of Buffalo were stranded.
----------
* Get Eyewitness News Delivered
* Download the abc7NY app for breaking news alerts
Submit a tip or story idea to Eyewitness News
Have a breaking news tip or an idea for a story we should cover? Send it to Eyewitness News using the form below. If attaching a video or photo, terms of use apply.
