William Clay was found lying face down in the snow during the winter storm in Buffalo.
In a heartbreaking turn of events, a man who was out on his 56th birthday was found frozen to death in the devastating winter storm in Buffalo. Relatives identified William Clay whose frozen body was found face down in the snow at Bailey and Kensington avenues in Eerie County, reports The New York Post.
Lake effect snow off Lake Erie will push southward today to the Boston Hills area tonight where it will stall. While 12-18 inches of additional snow is possible across the Northtowns, up to 36 inches is possible along the Lake Erie shoreline and Southtowns. #nywx pic.twitter.com/hRrph3DawW
— NWS Buffalo (@NWSBUFFALO) December 24, 2022
His sister Sophie Clay posted on early Saturday morning that her brother was missing. She mentioned he regularly frequented the nearby 7 Eleven. After confirming the news of his shocking death his son, Jules Clay wrote, "This pain is overwhelming. I can’t stop crying. Grateful I spoke to him & told him I love him yesterday." He added, "I have so much emotions right now & even regret . I spoke to my pops early Friday & got to tell him I love him, im grateful for that , but it hurts cuz he called me while I was sleep Friday night , probably while he outside or before. im not suppose to put that weight on me but I cant help to think maybe I could have stopped him from going out or helped him . But in reality , I’m snowed in. I Couldn’t even get my kids for Christmas."
Sophie Clay started a GoFundMe for funeral expenses writing that her "brother unexpectedly lost his life on his Birthday. I am humbly asking for donations to bury my brother. Any amount will be greatly appreciated." She also said that she has a business page Sharp Edges Hair Care on Facebook. To purchase hair care items. All proceeds will go towards sending him away properly. Thank you in advance." So far the page has raised $5,495.
William Clay's death was the third death during the Blizzard of 2022 and Buffalo was one of the hardest hit areas during the storm. The region received more than 22 inches of snow on Friday, December 23. “This may turn out to be the worst storm in our community’s history,” Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz said Saturday morning. “There are still likely hundreds of people stuck in vehicles," reported New York Post. “We will say once again that it’s no joke out here and to please stay off the roads,” police added. Emergency services had trouble getting places due to impassable roads and as many as many as 10 fire trucks were stranded at one point from Friday night into Saturday according to WGRZ. 30,000 people were without power and manyt vehicles were stuck on the roadways at one point.
Many thanks to the members of the @NationalGuardNY deployed in WNY this weekend, who continue to help with storm response. Here’s a look at one of the many assists they performed in @ErieCountyNY pic.twitter.com/G5I9sHeIer
— NYS Div. of Homeland Security & Emergency Services (@NYSDHSES) December 26, 2022
References:
https://nypost.com/2022/12/24/winter-storm-pounds-buffalo-with-record-snowfall-at-least-3-dead/
https://www.gofundme.com/f/wxfy9-burial-expenses
Cover Image Source: GoFundMe
