'Ice Tsunami' Forces Officials To Order Evacuations Along Lake Erie

People who live along the coast of Lake Erie in New York were asked to evacuate after an "ice tsunami" resulted in massive chunks of ice being blown onto the shore. High winds pushed the ice across the frozen water and onto land, causing 20 to 30-foot piles of ice to form in some places. The ice created a dangerous situation and authorities went door to door asking residents to leave their homes.

The Town of Hamburg Emergency Services has asked the public to avoid Hoover Beach and shared photos of the giant mounds of ice that have piled up dangerously close to people's homes.

"Some people did take us up on it while others chose to stay put so we have an account for how many are in their houses that way if we need to get back and get them we know how many people we are dealing with," Sean Crotty, Emergency Manager for the Town of Hamburg, told WGRZ.

In some areas, winds topped 75 miles per hour, which brought down trees and toppled power lines, knocking out power for thousands of people across the region. The winter weather is expected to continue as the slow-moving storm makes its away east.