'I couldn't open my door': Man trapped by snow is freed after four days

A man who said he was trapped in his home for four days amid record snowfall in Buffalo, New York, has been rescued by the National Guard. Streets have been covered in 7ft (over 2m) of snow or more, closing roads and trapping hundreds of people in their cars and homes. Gary Lehsten said he was among those trapped by snow piling up on front doors. “Couldn’t get my door open,” he said. Mr Lehsten said he could not reach anyone on the phone to help, but he saw the National Guard, which has been called in to help clear the roads, and yelled out to the soldiers.

All the snow came off the roof and packed the door in.

Gary Lehsten

Twelve people have died since the storm began earlier in the week. The most recent victims were two elderly residents of a nursing home that was evacuated amid concerns of a roof collapse. Some 180 patients have been moved from a health care facility in Cheektowaga, near Buffalo, over fears about a roof collapse. Little or no snow was expected on Friday, but with warming temperatures and rain, there is a risk of flooding.

World Buffalo snow