A young woman sent her family a final video as she was freezing to death in her car after being stranded for 18 hours in a snowstorm.
Anndel Taylor was found dead in her vehicle by rescue teams tackling one of the worst weather disasters to ever hit the US.
The 22-year-old had been driving home from work in Buffalo, New York state.
The storm has claimed the lives of more than 50 people with rescuers searching for cars buried in snow drifts.
Anndel’s family believe she died of carbon monoxide poisoning from fumes, not the freezing conditions.
She managed to send a video of her car stuck in snow before her death.
Her sister Shawnequa Brown said: “I don’t know if any of us really knew how serious it was, we didn’t see the news, we didn’t really know what was going on in Buffalo.
“She was telling my sister that she was scared.”
Shawnequa started a fundraiser to pay for her sibling’s funeral, which has so far earned more than £15,000.
She wrote: “As you all may know our sister, your friend, passed away by accident in a blizzard that occurred in Buffalo NY December 23 and 24.
“She was stuck in her car for hours/days which caused the snow to continue to build up on her car causing her to be unable to get out. We are currently trying to put Services together to say our final goodbyes.
“We are truly in need of emotional and financial help to complete the task at hand and with heavy hearts we are reaching out to all of you to assist us.
“Anything and everything you assist us with will be greatly appreciated. Allow us to do what’s right for her in her untimely passing.”
The storm has seen tens of millions of people shelter from terrible conditions. Several inches of snow has fallen in the worst-affected areas.
New York Governor Kathy Hochul said: “This is a war with mother nature, and she has been hitting us with everything she has.
“It is like going to a war zone, and the vehicles along the sides of the roads are shocking.”
US President Joe Biden offered federal assistance to the hard-hit state, and said his prayers were with the victims’ families.
People who lost their lives around Buffalo were found in cars, homes and snowbanks.
Others died while shovelling snow or passed away after paramedics couldn’t respond in time to medical emergencies.
Deaths related to the storm have been reported nationwide, including at least eight following crashes in Missouri, Kansas and Kentucky.
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