Erie County, New York, which included the city of Buffalo, lifted its travel ban overnight, six days after officials instructed people to stay home because of a fierce winter storm that struck the region, NBC News reports.
With at least 76 people dead from the storm nationwide, with 37 of the death in Erie County, the storm dropped more than 20 inches of snow in and around Buffalo; the Buffalo airport recorded total snowfall of 52 inches. County crews used more than 450 snow removal vehicles like plows and trucks to clear the roadways.
“It has been six days,” Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown said Wednesday when announcing the planned overnight lifting of the ban. “Some people have not been able to restock groceries, to restock medications, to get to medical appointments, and being able to lift the travel ban safely now will allow people to do those important things.”