BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — Hundreds of thousands of people remain without power across the country following a devastating winter storm, with at least 22 deaths blamed on the severe weather conditions.
Tennessee has experienced some of the most widespread power outages, where utility crews are working around the clock to restore electricity to affected communities.
Winter Storm Fern has particularly impacted areas unaccustomed to heavy ice and snow, creating dangerous conditions and widespread infrastructure damage. The storm has knocked down trees and power lines across multiple southern states, leaving thousands without power.
Buffalo volunteers answer the call
True to Buffalo's "City of Good Neighbors" reputation, several Western New Yorkers have traveled south to assist states crippled by the unusual weather conditions, including Mississippi and Tennessee.
Fredonia-based Kravitz Tree Service deployed a crew to central Tennessee on Monday to help with ice storm cleanup, emergency tree removal, and clearing downed trees from roads and properties. At the peak of the outages, approximately 200,000 people in the Nashville area were without power.
"We will be down there as long as it takes to help everyone out and get at least all of the emergency tree work done. Like trees on houses blocking driveways, threatening to fall on houses," a company spokesperson said.
Feeding communities in crisis
Eight Days of Hope, a nonprofit organization, has sent about half a dozen volunteers from Buffalo to northeast Mississippi to support four hard-hit cities: Tupelo, Blue Mountain, New Albany and Corinth.
Steve Tybor, president and founder of Eight Days of Hope, explained the organization's meal distribution efforts in the affected areas.
"They can come and get as many meals as they want. A lot of families will get a meal for lunch and dinner, so they don't have to double back. So, again, it's a small sense of encouragement to those who are like wondering when is this going to end," Tybor said.
The nonprofit is partnering with local churches and fire departments to distribute between 6,000 and 8,000 meals on Tuesday alone.
Extended recovery expected
Unlike Western New York, where communities are equipped to handle ice storms quickly, southern states face a much longer recovery period.
"There's still ice on the roads. Unlike Western New York, where we get ice, you throw salt, and you're on it 2 hours later, you're talking about some communities that might not have power for multiple weeks. Like Oxford, Mississippi," Tybor said.
"Our thought and what we're hearing is they're not going to have power for up to 3 weeks," he added.
Eight Days of Hope plans to announce additional rapid response efforts for Oxford, Mississippi on Tuesday.
Anyone who would like to become a volunteer with Eight Days of Hope can click here.
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