Biden approves emergency declaration for New York state after historic snowfall

WASHINGTON - The White House said on Monday that US President Joe Biden had approved an emergency declaration for the state of New York after historic snowfall.

Biden, according to the White House, had also ordered federal assistance to supplement state and local response efforts to address the aftermath of a severe winter storm and snowstorm.

Additionally, the federal government named a coordinating officer for federal recovery operations in areas affected by the storm.

"We faced a record-breaking snowstorm this weekend," New York Governor Kathy Hochul tweeted on Monday.

The storm set a state record for the most snowfall within a 24-hour period, with some parts of Erie County getting more than 6 feet (180 cm) of snow.

In Orchard Park, a village in Erie County, 80 inches (203 cm) of snow fell between Thursday and Sunday afternoon, according to the US National Weather Service.