A 56-year-old man, identified as William ‘Romello’ Clay, died “after apparently freezing to death” on a Buffalo, New York street in a historic severe winter snowstorm. Clay was reported as the first victim of the devastating storm that significantly affected the United States.
According to his family, Clay left the house for the store in extreme weather conditions on December 23; unfortunately, he didn’t make it back home. However, a terrifying video surfaced on Christmas Eve of a dead man lying face down in the snow. The remains were later identified as those of Clay.
Further details emerged that the 56-year-old father died on his birthday.
According to sources, Clay was one of several people known to have died in Buffalo during the snowstorm. Authorities haven’t identified the other victims, and it is believed they died because the first responders couldn’t reach them during the medical emergencies.
“We are at war. This is a war with Mother Nature,” New York Governor Kathy Hochul said during a video conference on Sunday morning. “We’re still in the middle of it. We still have people who need to be rescued.”
Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown said that many roads were still impassable, making it difficult for first responders to rescue people stuck in their cars and stranded on highways.
New York State Police and the National Guard are assisting Buffalo authorities.
Across the country, the bomb cyclone weather has claimed the lives of about 32 people, a figure that is likely to rise with many people left stranded in their homes without proper heating or electricity for days.
A bomb cyclone weather event occurs when atmospheric pressure falls rapidly and cold air collides with warmer moist air causing an explosive effect.
The Buffalo police spokesperson said that officers were coordinating efforts to retrieve Clay’s body due to the blizzard conditions. The cause of death is not yet known, and an autopsy will be carried out to determine the cause.