As of Wednesday night, the central and eastern US has been battered by a storm of rare severity, with polar cold and heavy snowfall, mainly in the Great Lakes region.
For millions of Americans, this Christmas weekend was disrupted by the unprecedented winter blizzard, which brought extreme temperatures and led to power outages, transportation chaos and the deaths of at least 13 people.
More than 1.7 million households were without power Saturday morning, particularly in North Carolina, Tennessee and Maine, according to the specialist website Poweroutage.us. All three States recorded temperatures below zero.
As of Wednesday night, the central and eastern US has been battered by a storm of rare severity, with polar cold and heavy snowfall, mainly in the Great Lakes region.
As millions of Americans tried to travel to spend the holiday with their families, transportation was in chaos: More than 5,500 flights were canceled on Friday and another 1,900 this morning, most of them from airports in Detroit and Minneapolis.
Many are now hoping only for a miracle to find a seat, even at the last minute, on a plane that will allow them to reach their destination on time.
Zach Kyler, 35, said he will be forced to spend New Year’s Eve with friends in New York after his flight to Houston, where his family is based, was canceled twice. But he expects to be able to reach his destination by noon tomorrow, Christmas Day. “And for that I feel grateful,” he said.
“Hundreds trapped”
In many States the roads are now impassable or very dangerous and there is no shortage of serious, even fatal, accidents. In Ohio, four people were killed in crashes linked to the bad weather, Gov. Mike DeWine said.
In total, authorities have confirmed the deaths of 13 people across the US.
“Emergency services are not available in the hardest hit areas, such as in the city of Buffalo,” New York, said Mark Polonkarz, an Erie County official. Two people died of heart disease because ambulances could not reach them, he said. A curfew has been issued in this county since yesterday. But “there are probably hundreds of people trapped in their cars, including some who tried to get out late last night,” Polonkarz said. As he said, the help of the National Guard was requested to locate and rescue those people who have been stranded in the midst of particularly dangerous conditions.
“Don’t get out of your car!” was the message posted on Twitter by the local weather service. “Tie a piece of clothing to the antenna or window to show you need help,” they advised those stranded who are unable to contact authorities.
In almost every city, from Denver to Chicago, shelters have been opened to accommodate those in need of warmth and protection from the danger of hypothermia.
Frostbite
Cold temperatures will continue through the weekend and return to seasonally normal levels by midweek, according to the NWS weather service. Experts warn those who are preparing to travel or for some reason need to go out, to be prepared, wear lots of clothes and cover as much surface area of ​​their skin as possible. “You can get frostbite within minutes,” they pointed out.
Winds, which in some places will reach 95 kilometers per hour, may also cause damage, such as trees falling on power lines.
Canada is also on alert. Hundreds of thousands of people are without power in Ontario and Quebec, while flight cancellations and delays are reported at airports in Vancouver, Toronto and Montreal.
RES-EMP
Read the News today and get the latest news.
Follow Skai.gr on Google News and be the first to know all the news.
With a wealth of experience honed over 4+ years in journalism, I bring a seasoned voice to the world of news. Currently, I work as a freelance writer and editor, always seeking new opportunities to tell compelling stories in the field of world news.
