Millions of people huddled against a deep freeze to escape the winter storm that has killed at least 28 people in the United States.
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The storm is expected to take more lives after trapping some residents indoors, piling up snowdrifts and knocking out power to thousands of homes and businesses. See the article : US support for Ukraine in the face of Russian attacks – US State Department.
Stretching from the Great Lakes near Canada to the Rio Grande across the Mexican border, the storm is almost unprecedented.
The National Weather Service said about 60 percent of the U.S. population was under a winter weather warning or advisory, with temperatures falling sharply below normal from the Rocky Mountains east to the Appalachians.
Bad weather for travelers is likely to continue, with hundreds of flight cancellations and more expected after a “bomb cyclone” — when atmospheric pressure drops very quickly in a severe storm — developed near the Great Lakes, causing gusty conditions, including strong winds. and the snow
1,707 domestic and international flights were canceled Sunday local time, according to tracking site FlightAware.
The storm unleashed its full fury in Buffalo, New York, with hurricane-force winds and snow causing whiteout conditions and halting emergency response efforts.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said nearly all of the city’s fire trucks were grounded Saturday local time.
Officials said the airport will remain closed until Tuesday morning. As of 7 a.m. Sunday, the National Weather Service said 109 inches of snow had fallen at Buffalo Niagara International Airport.
Daylight revealed cars nearly covered in 1.8-meter drifts of snow and thousands of homes, some decked out in unlit holiday displays, darkened by lack of power.
As snow drifted down untouched and impassable streets, forecasters warned that an additional 30-60 cm of snow was possible in some areas by early Monday morning, with winds gusting to 65 km/h.
Two people died Friday at their homes in suburban Cheektowaga, New York, after emergency crews couldn’t get there in time to treat their medical conditions, and another died in Buffalo.
Four more deaths were confirmed overnight, bringing the total to seven in Erie County.
County Executive Mark Poloncarz warned there could be more deaths.
“Some were found in cars, others were found on the street in snowbanks,” Mr. Poloncarz said.
“We know there are people who have been stuck in their cars for over two days.”
Freezing conditions and a day-long power outage left people in Buffalo scrambling to get anywhere that had heat, amid what Ms. Hochul called the city’s longest-ever power outage.
But the streets were under a thick blanket of white, not an option for people like Jeremy Manahan, who charged his phone in his parked car after nearly 29 hours without power.
“There is a warming shelter but that would be too far for me. I can’t drive because I’m obviously stuck,” Mr Manahan said.
“And you can’t be out more than 10 minutes without getting frostbite.”
‘It’s something I will never forget in my life’
Ditjak Ilunga, of Gaithersburg, Maryland, was visiting relatives in Hamilton, Ont., Friday with his daughters for Christmas when their SUV got stuck in Buffalo. This may interest you : The Unified Arts showcase offers a journey beyond stereotypes. Unable to get help, they spent hours running the engine, battered by the wind and almost buried in the snow.
By 04:00 on Saturday, with almost no fuel left, Mr Ilunga made a desperate bid to escape the howling storm and reach a nearby shelter.
She was carrying 6-year-old Destiny on her back, holding her 16-year-old Pomeranian puppy Cindy, following her footsteps through the snowdrifts.
“If I stay in this car, I will die here with my children,” Mr Ilunga said.
She cried as the family walked through the shelter’s doors.
“It’s something I’ll never forget in my life.”
The storm knocked out power in communities from Maine to Seattle. However, heat and lights were steadily being restored across the US.
According to Poweroutage.us, fewer than 200,000 customers were without power as of 3 p.m. local time Sunday, down from a peak of 1.7 million.
Concerns about blackouts in eastern states eased Sunday after PJM Interconnection said its utilities could meet the day’s peak electricity demand.
The mid-Atlantic grid operator urged its 65 million customers to conserve energy amid the freeze on Saturday.
In North Carolina, fewer than 6,500 customers were without power, down from a peak of 485,000.
In New England, power has been restored to tens of thousands with fewer than 83,000 people, mostly in Maine, still without power.
In New York, about 34,000 homes were without power Sunday, including 26,000 in Erie County, where utility crews and hundreds of National Guard troops battled strong winds and stuck snow.
Deaths related to the storm have been reported across the country in recent days:
In Jackson, Mississippi, city officials announced on Christmas Day that residents should boil their drinking water because water lines are bursting in cold temperatures.
Meanwhile, in Tampa, Florida, the thermometer dipped below freezing for the first time in nearly five years, according to the National Weather Service, a drop that helps cold-blooded iguanas fall from trees.
Four dead, dozens injured, in Canada bus crash
A bus overturned on an icy highway in British Columbia on Christmas Eve, killing four people and injuring three dozen, Canadian authorities said. On the same subject : Ashland, Wayne food pantries struggle to feed the community.
In a statement, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police said the bus crashed on Highway 97C east of Merritt.
He said the crash was still under investigation, but the extremely icy road was believed to have caused the rollover.
Internal Health, the regional health authority, said 36 people were treated for injuries ranging from minor to serious.
He said eight remained in hospital on Sunday morning, including two in critical condition and two others uninjured.
Japan heavy snow causes 13 deaths
Meanwhile, recent snowfall in Japan, the country’s north and elsewhere has left 13 people dead and more than 80 injured, and authorities have left more than 10,000 homes without power on Christmas Day.
Snowstorms and high waves in northern Japan and along the coast of the Sea of Japan could cause up to 60 centimeters of snow, the Meteorological Agency warned.
By Saturday evening, more than 30 people had been seriously injured and more than 50 people had suffered minor injuries, the Fire and Disaster Management Agency confirmed.
Train and plane services were suspended in northern Japan, and traffic was disrupted in parts of central and western Japan, according to public broadcaster NHK.
Posted 8 hours ago, Sunday, December 25, 2022, 10:40 p.m., Updated 6 hours ago, Sunday, December 26, 2022, at 1:01 a.m.
