Local officials insisted that they were prepared, but the weather was extraordinary, even for a region prone to powerful winter storms.
The death toll from a fierce winter storm that gripped much of the United States over Christmas has risen to at least 61, officials said.
Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz said on Thursday two more deaths had been reported in the western New York region that bore the brunt of the historic storm, bringing the total to 39.
Erie County includes the snow-battered city of Buffalo, where most of the deaths occurred.
Poloncarz said 17 of the 39 victims were found outside, 11 were in homes, four were in cars, four died while shovelling or snow blowing, and three were the results of an inability of emergency responders to reach them in time.
Nine deaths were reported in storm-related car crashes in the midwestern state of Ohio, with scattered fatalities in at least half-a-dozen other states.
Some victims have yet to be identified, Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz said at a storm briefing.
"There are families in this community who still have not been able to identify where a loved one is, they're missing," he said.
With temperatures rising and snow melting, officials in New York had expressed concerns about flooding, but the county executive said, "it does not appear like it will be bad."
"Thankfully, it appears that flooding will be minimal," Poloncarz said.
He said that electricity had been restored to all of the residents of the county.
READ MORE: Thousands of flights cancelled as US digs out from deadly superstorm
'Embarrassing' response
As Buffalo dug itself out of the once-in-a-generation storm, there has been mounting criticism of the response of the authorities, with Poloncarz calling the city's handling "embarrassing", for which he later apologised.
"We've been dealing with much, including the unfolding issues associated with the deaths, the identification of bodies, individuals who have not yet been identified, and new deaths that are coming in that are absolutely heartbreaking," said Poloncarz, adding that he was trying to contact Brown to make amends.
"I basically lost my focus."
Local officials insisted that they prepared, but the weather was extraordinary, even for a region prone to powerful winter storms.
"The city did everything that it could under historic blizzard conditions," the mayor said on Wednesday.
The storm brought unseasonably cold temperatures to states such as Texas and Florida and caused chaos at airports, with thousands of flights delayed or cancelled.
A company that estimates damage from natural disasters said insured losses from the winter storm would be $5.4 billion across 42 states.
Karen Clark & Co. said New York, Texas, Georgia, Tennessee and North Carolina sustained the most storm damage, with freezing temperatures, which can result in infrastructure disruptions and burst pipes, accounting for the vast majority of the loss.
READ MORE: 'Blizzard of the century' pushes US death toll to 50
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