AMERICAS PRESS REVIEW
Headline: Why did the storm claim so many lives in Buffalo?
A car buried in snow after the storm hit the town of Buffalo in western New York, Wednesday, Dec. 28, 2022. © Jeffrey T. Barnes/AP
Text by: Marie Normand Follow
5 mins
Publicity
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In the United States, the press wonders about the reason for the high number of deaths recorded in Buffalo during the winter storm, while this city is confronted with snow every winter.
The
Washington Post
recounts the frustration and anger of an emergency doctor stuck in her ambulance for 14 hours because, in front of her, four cars had sunk into snowdrifts and blocked the road.
It was there, in these trapped cars, that many people died during "
the worst storm since 1977
".
For the
Washington Post
, the dramatic situation in Buffalo is a combination of several factors: "
The blizzard hit just before Christmas, when many government agencies, already understaffed, had even fewer staff during the holidays.
It also hit on a Friday, a payday for many people (27% of the population lives in poverty).
»
The storm also hit Buffalo on Christmas Day, "
where many may have planned to buy gifts, food or supplies
."
In short, the traffic bans, applied late, have not been heard.
The emergency services also recognize in this article the limits of their intervention: “
Police and ambulances were unable to reach two-thirds of the most affected areas of the county.
Others blame the city: only two shelters were open for 270,000 inhabitants, while many of them live in old buildings, poorly insulated and equipped with electric stoves.
► To read also:
Storm in the United States: the "blizzard of the century" causes nearly 50 deaths
Mysterious attacks on the US power grid
Four electrical substations were vandalized Sunday, December 25 in Pierce County, Washington.
The attack knocked out power to more than 14,000 residents on Christmas Day, the
News Tribune
said .
To date, police have not found a suspect and cannot confirm that the four incidents are related, the
Seattle Times
adds .
“
Who is attacking our electricity network
?
asks
the
National Review
.
"
Blowing up an electrical substation is apparently the latest fashion
," the ultra-conservative media is surprised, as the incident follows other similar attacks in Florida, North Carolina and Oregon.
even points out that these acts of vandalism are increasing at a "
rhythm not seen for at least ten years
": 101 attacks were recorded between January and August 2022.
For the American media, "
national extremists hope to take advantage of the breakdowns to sow trouble
".
These strategic infrastructures are "
difficult to protect
", notes the
National Review
, "
because they are often isolated, in the middle of nowhere and generally unmanned
".
Each time, the same procedure: forced entry, sabotage of the installations by bullet, and no theft.
The FBI investigates and targets domestic terrorism.
An alert has been sent to all operators in the country.
Title
42
remains in force
The Supreme Court has ruled.
She announced on Tuesday December 27 the maintenance, until at least February, of a controversial measure taken during the Covid-19 pandemic by former President Donald Trump.
Title 42 permits the deportation of migrants at the border with Mexico, including potential asylum seekers.
The government wanted to lift this measure, but the decision was contested by 19 American states, which feared a new influx of migrants.
This maintenance of “Title 42” is decided, while “
15,000 migrants are at the border
”, title
La Razon
.
This figure is surely underestimated, notes the newspaper, because many have moved or are hiding in shelters due to the cold that is beating down on the region.
It is “
a setback for the illusion of thousands of migrants who are waiting for a chance to cross to the United States and seek asylum
,” adds
La Razon
.
"
Central American, Cuban and Venezuelan migrants who can file asylum claims with valid arguments will be sent to Mexico, to wait months or years for their claim to be considered
," adds
Proceso
.
"
Since March 2020, when Trump imposed
'Title 42',
US immigration services have deported two million migrants to Mexico
," according to the federal government.
► To read also:
United States: the Supreme Court upholds a health measure blocking migrants at the border
Identification of bodies
Several human rights NGOs point out that the current Title 42 system only encourages migrants to cross the border illegally and to take ever-increasing risks in order to do so.
Many lose their lives.
The Mexican newspaper
Milenio
reports that, in Brooks County, Texas, the bodies of migrants are discovered daily and that these people are buried without prior identification.
Humanitarian organizations have lobbied the authorities for funds to be allocated for the exhumation of bodies, the carrying out of autopsies and DNA comparisons.
The cancellation in 2022 of the resources allocated to this identification of the bodies "
prevents giving a dignified burial to the deceased
",
.
Arrest of the former commander of the Peruvian police
The anti-corruption crackdown continues in Peru.
This time it was the former national police commander, Javier Gallardo Mendoza, who was arrested on Tuesday, December 27, explains
Correo
, just after giving an interview to the Willax television channel.
The day before, the justice had ordered his pre-trial detention for ten days, in a case of alleged irregular promotions in the security forces.
In the interview conducted just before the arrest, the former commander
categorically denies
having received money from colonels for promotions.
Six people, including three senior national police officers, were also
arrested simultaneously
on December 26
in several cities across the country.
► To read also: Headlines: arrest of three senior police officers in Peru suspected of corruption
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