Christmas will never be the same for the people of Buffalo, New York due to the intense snowstorm that hit them, especially for the families whose loved ones died during the blizzard.
Reports state that the disaster left no less than 50 inches of snow and dozens of people dead in its wake.
After her nursing shift on Friday, 22-year-old Anndel Taylor was driving home when she was caught in the snowstorm. According to her family, she was able to talk to them on the phone, and she shared terrifying videos of how she was trapped in her car because of the snow that had piled up outside while she was stuck on the highway.
She also tried to call 911 unsuccessfully.
Sadly, Taylor was only minutes away from home.
Taylor was trapped for 18 hours inside her car and was found dead the next day. Her family said that the authorities were not able to make it to the scene since it was hard to travel due to the snow. Tomeshia Brown, one of Taylor’s sisters, said that those who tried to help also got stuck due to the weather.
It was a random female passerby who took Taylor’s body to the coroner using a truck that was able to go through thick snow.
The rescuer contacted Taylor’s family when she heard that they were looking for her on social media.
According to Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz, the blizzard is the “worst storm probably in our lifetime.” Hospitals were fully occupied, and authorities are still searching for victims.
Taylor’s stepmother, Laneesha Smith, blasted Buffalo officials, saying they should have imposed the travel ban early on. Digging through the snow seemed impossible, as it got covered quickly soon after they tried to clear an area up.
“They said they were prepared for this storm but they were not prepared for this storm,” Smith said. “So many lives probably could have been saved if they put the travel ban in the night before.”
Smith accused officials of passing her stepdaughter by and helping others. She said she has video proof that plows and police passed Taylor by on Saturday and offered no assistance.
Taylor’s family has started a GoFundMe for her wake. More than $15,000 has already been raised for her funeral and burial.