Looters took advantage of chaos caused by a historic storm in Buffalo, New York (Pictures: BuffaloScan/TMX)
Looters added insult to injury in an upstate New York city that has been hit with the deadliest storm in 50 years.
The blizzard in Buffalo over Christmas weekend killed at least 27 people and trapped many more in their cars and homes. City roads were buried under several feet of snow and first responders struggled to rescue people even days after the worst of the storm.
Governor Kathy Hochul declared a state of emergency on Friday and asked for aid from the federal government.
In the midst of the chaos, videos posted on the Internet showed thieves walking on piles of snow to steal items from stores including a Dollar General. Some of the criminals were seen grabbing toilet paper and paper towels.
Other looters went for bigger items, like TVs. One woman had the nerve to post a Facebook Live of herself and her friends ransacking a store.
The owner of a liquor store stayed at his business overnight because he was not able to board a hole caused by the storm. A thief apparently made off with $500 worth of products and had ‘cheap and bad taste’, the shop owner told WKBW.
Erie County Executive Marc Poloncarz on Monday said authorities were investigating many reports of looting.
‘I’m heartbroken about the deaths, just absolutely devastated to see as many deaths,’ he said on Monday. ‘And then to find out that there’s looting going on in our community at the same time we’re still recovering bodies is just horrible.’
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The blizzard in Buffalo over Christmas weekend killed at least 27 people and trapped more in their cars and homes.
