Last Updated on December 28, 2022
At a press conference on Christmas Eve day, New York Governor Kathy Hochul (D) blamed ‘climate change’ for the blizzard of 2022 which has resulted in people frozen to death, reports of looting, and one reported exchange of gunfire.
Hochul’s comment provoked strong criticism in the digital town square on Monday.
"Last night, I had to bring in the National Guard… It may go down as one of the worst in history. People are comparing to this to the dreaded Blizzard of '77," Gov. Hochul said. 'It's very clear to me that the effects of climate change are wreaking havoc everywhere." pic.twitter.com/1LJUk0dhXd
— Addy Adds (@OneAddyAdds) December 27, 2022
“Last night, I had to bring in the National Guard. The conditions, the blinding snow, the zero visibility, absolute whiteouts. It may go down as one of the worst in history. People are comparing this to the dreaded Blizzard of ’77,” Gov. Hochul said. ‘It’s very clear to me that the effects of climate change are wreaking havoc everywhere.”
Alex Stein, a self-described “Cat Maximalist,” comedian, and host of the Conspiracy Castle, published a tweet on Monday in which he criticized the U.S. government’s treatment of its citizens.
“This person didn’t pass away due to climate change…he died because the United States government cares more about helping Ukrainian citizens than our own. We must fix our homelessness problem in America if we really care about humanity,” Stein said on Monday.
https://twitter.com/alexstein99/status/1607459162836926465?s=20&t=EZyFjgCUpOsqbiiJgV29lA
“Tragic news out of Buffalo. Pray for them,” independent journalist Florida Grand said in a tweet posted on Monday. “Meanwhile [Gov. Hochul] is too busy talking about climate change. All I know is the liberals would be all over DeSantis right now for what is happening in Buffalo and other parts of New York.”
Tragic news out of Buffalo. Pray for them…Meanwhile @GovKathyHochul is too busy talking about climate change. All I know is the liberals would be all over DeSantis right now for what is happening in Buffalo and other parts of New York. pic.twitter.com/LYBmwG93d2
— Florida Grand (@florida_grand) December 26, 2022
Betty Buffalo, a citizen of Erie County, spoke with The National File on Monday about how Hochul and the New York powers-that-be handled the emergency so far.
“I’m totally biased. I don’t like her. We have all Democrat leaders and they all suck! I think she could have deployed more national guard in preparation,” Betty said.
“The storm wasn’t called a bomb cyclone for nothing! They should have closed everything down Friday. People were still at work or leaving. Not everyone was out shopping. They enforced the travel ban as the storm started,” she said.
Betty criticized Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz.
“I don’t know. It’s not all on her though,” Betty added. “Our County Executive, Mark Poloncarz, is Second in Command here. The fact they had to shut down 911 services is terrifying. If you had a medical emergency at your house you may as well say your last rites because you were a goner.”
“I think our area as a whole should be better prepared. This is Buffalo. We are known for our snow! And we just had that awful storm last month. You think they would figure it out by now,” Betty critiqued.
“Some of the stories were awful. Some people stranded in their cars froze to death. In the city bodies were found frozen in the snow. 911 services were suspended so people having medical emergencies were left to die,” Betty said.
Betty stated that the current blizzard which hit Western New York is larger in magnitude than the Blizzard of 1977, which hit Western New York and Southern Ontario. She also asserted that the actual death toll has likely already exceeded triple digits.
“I was only 5 during the Blizzard of ’77. But my mom said this was worse. There is a lot of debate as to things that could have been done better in preparation etc. which I agree with. I have been hearing that there are over 100 people dead. I’m sure more. For 3 days some people were without power. Old people especially may not survive the cold,” Betty said.
Betty said that despite the tragedy, that “kindness and neighborly love” won the day.
“There are a lot of heartwarming stories too, how people let strangers in their home that were stranded,” Betty said. “There was some looting in the city, but there was more kindness and neighborly love more than anything.”
“I live in Western New York. This whole area is considered ‘Buffalo.’ I live in the Town of Amherst. We were the hardest hit. About 20 minutes from the city of Buffalo. Most of what I know I hear from the radio or on social media,” she added.
Betty also clarified that a fake news story about a Walmart being looted was actually from the 2020 BLM riots in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
“And if you see a story about a Walmart being looted, it’s not true. It was from Philadelphia during BLM Riots [of 2020]. There were just a handful of stores in the city that got trashed.”
This is false information.
There is no Walmart in Buffalo, New York.
This video was taken in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in the aftermath of the BLM riots in 2020.#buffalo #newyork #ny #buffalony #blizzard #winterstorm #hochul #nypol https://t.co/EWJtbrQJ99
— Addy Adds (@OneAddyAdds) December 27, 2022
Stay tuned to National File for any updates.