WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) – The consequences of the winter storm in the USA are becoming increasingly severe. More than a million electricity customers were affected by outages on Sunday afternoon (US East Coast time), according to the overview site poweroutage.us, which compiles data from energy suppliers. Outages occurred in households in southern states such as Tennessee, Texas and Louisiana, but regions on the East Coast were also affected.
A problem for the energy supply is the load of snow and ice on the above-ground cables. Falling trees can also interrupt the supply.
Two men froze to death
There are now also deaths due to the winter storm. Two men died of hypothermia in the Caddo Parish region of Louisiana, the health authority said. The age of the men is unknown.
The winter storm affected the South, Midwest and also the East Coast of the United States. According to authorities, 190 million residents of the USA are affected. The states and also the US government asked the residents of the United States to stay at home.
US meteorologists have been warning for days about one of the biggest winter storms in recent years. Numerous countries have declared a state of emergency in order to be able to mobilize aid funds and personnel more quickly in an emergency.
White blanket of snow covers New York and Washington
In the US capital Washington there was nothing going on on the otherwise busy highway. The streets in the city were also empty. Ronald Reagan Airport, which Americans use for domestic flights, had canceled almost all flights.
Residents of the capital were asked to have flashlights ready and to charge their cell phones as a precaution. The offices of the federal authorities should remain closed on Monday. Despite the tense situation, happy winter scenes also characterized the cityscape: people were seen skiing in the middle of Washington and children were sledding down the snowy slopes of the Capitol, where the US Parliament sits.
In the early morning hours, minus nine degrees were measured in Washington and minus twelve degrees in New York. Little by little, a white blanket of snow fell over the metropolises, including Central Park in the heart of New York. According to NBC News, centers where New Yorkers can warm up should open in all five boroughs. The streets remained largely empty in the morning and clearing vehicles were in constant use.
Snow, ice and unusually cold
CNN reported 58 centimeters of snow from the town of Crested Butte in Colorado – formerly a mining settlement and now a popular winter sports destination. In parts of Oklahoma, up to 20 centimeters fell. Some took advantage of the winter weather for leisure activities: The station showed images of people in Oklahoma having fun on sleigh rides.
The freezing rain, which has caused a layer of ice about two centimeters thick in parts of Louisiana, is particularly dangerous, CNN said. There were also warnings about ice deposits in Mississippi.
Big challenges for travelers – thousands of flights canceled
According to authorities, the weather caused significant traffic delays and road closures, some of which could last for several days. People were asked not to leave their homes if possible and to leave their cars behind.
Schools in many major US cities canceled classes or switched to distance learning on Monday, such as New York City, Philadelphia, Boston and Houston, as CNN reported.
More than 15,000 flights were also canceled over the weekend, CNN reported. Photos from the US capital Washington showed deserted terminals./rin/DP/zb
